Mosman Park residents looking to remove a large tree from their property will now need development approval, under a new policy endorsed by the Town’s Council.

Local Planning Policy 43 – Urban Greening: Tree Preservation on Private Property (LPP43) was adopted at the Town’s June Council meeting, following community calls for stronger protection of mature trees amid concerns about the loss of urban canopy.

The policy applies to “regulated trees” – generally those with a canopy at least six metres wide, a height of eight metres or more, or a trunk circumference of 1.5 metres or greater. Anyone wanting to remove or significantly prune a regulated tree will need to apply for development approval first, although the policy includes exemptions for situations where removal is genuinely necessary, such as safety concerns.

Deputy Mayor Andrew Maurice said the Town wanted to strike the right balance between protecting trees and respecting property owners.

“We know this is a big change that will impact many people and we want to be upfront about that. We’re not trying to make things harder – we’re simply trying to make the rules clearer and fairer, and to give trees the same weight in planning decisions that our community says they deserve,” he said.

“This policy is about making sure that as our community grows and evolves, we don’t lose the canopy that took decades to establish.”

The new policy follows the State Government’s formal approval of an amendment to the Town’s Planning Scheme last month, which paved the way for LPP43 to be adopted. It also reflects recent decisions by the State Administrative Tribunal confirming that tree removal is considered “development” under WA planning law, meaning it can be assessed and regulated through the planning process.