457. Hon Alison Xamon to the Minister for Education and Training:
I refer to the Department of Education’s Primary School Brief Section 5.17.7 “Functional and Spatial Planning”, and I ask:
(a) with relation to 8c, could the Minister please advise if trees and/or bushland can be considered under this provision as part of the character, history and heritage of the site; and
(b) with relation to 8e, could the Minister please advise how the Landscape Architect Consultant is to determine whether a tree is significant?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a) Yes.
(b) When determining if a tree is significant, a landscape architect considers a number of key issues. These include:
whether the tree is endemic to the area;
the age, size and health of the tree;
the structure of the tree and amenity value; and impact on local fauna.
Also considered are the location of buildings and their likely impact on the root protection zone, bushfire mitigation requirements and historical significance.
A landscape architect may also engage the services of an arborist to provide advice where the health and safety of a tree may be a concern.