Petition results addressed to Auckland Council of 915 signatures and comments supporting the protection of Margan Reserve from being used for private development road construction were presented to the Whau Local Board as part of the public record on the 20th of July. Text of Presentation: This is an issue that began in December 2015 when the developer Avanda, with tacit approval of the Auckland Council, chose to cut down 19 pohutukawa along Margan Ave to accommodate a footprint for dense terraced housing. The community was made aware then, that there is often little value placed on the retention of urban trees by Auckland Council when approving plans for housing development. The people who have signed this petition are saying many things but the first and foremost is that trees should act as a constraint to development and not as an obstacle. We want Auckland Council planners to acknowledge this. People have also signed the petition to encourage the Whau Local Board to take a strong stand in support of the retention of Margan Reserve and its significant greenbelt of native trees. We hope that consultation with the local board, as promised in recent descriptions of the planning process made available by Auckland Council planners, will indeed be given the weight and significance it deserves. It is hard for the community to comprehend why the local board has not already been included in pre-application discussions regarding the use of the reserve for roads. The concern is that all will be decided beforehand between the developer and the council and that the local board will be consulted only as an exercise in following correct procedure. Let this not be the case. The message is clear: the community is informed and it is watching. Let public opinion inform the planning process and let public opinion impact policy decisions. Finally, if the board were presented with road options through the reserve to consider, as shown in planning documents, then the option which would result in the worst damage to the highest number and highest quality of mature pohutukawa, would be a central, main road option. [ Several petition comments were read out here. The presentation was well received by the Whau Local Board. ]