Hamilton’s CBD is blessed with majestic sheltering Plane Trees, the pride of our town. These trees embody what is most beautiful about Hamilton – they offer sanctuary during hot summer days, boost the mental health of residents with their aesthetic qualities, and bolster both tourism and the environment. Now, these 30-year-old majestic trees are under threat, as the Shire Council wants to cut them down.

Our magnificent Plane Trees encompass a rich canopy that has taken three decades to form. It is impossible to replace them overnight, and the replacement options proposed by the Council have a plethora of unwelcome traits, making them unsuitable for our community’s long-term health and wellbeing.

Numerous studies show that mature trees like our beloved Plane Trees have a positive impact on local climate, create oxygen, reduce air pollution, support biodiversity, alleviate flooding and have a positive impact on mental health. By removing them, the Shire will obviate these benefits. Additionally, the aesthetic charm these trees add to our CBD is invaluable, enhancing the appeal of our town to locals and visitors alike.

In 2020 Southern Grampians Shire engaged a team of urban designers to create a CBD Masterplan. This report describes the "fantastic street trees" as a major strength of our town: "Hamilton's CBD streets are lined with beautiful avenues of mature Plane trees, adding charm and character to the town centre". It states that existing street trees provide focal points to the ends of laneways and recommended achievable works to ensure the trees remain healthy and a focal point of the town. Nowhere in the report are the trees identified as an issue, only as an asset. This is the same report that informed the current Melville Oval revitalisation works, why then has the Council funded a separate $600,000 report for the CBD just 4 years later instead of following the recommendations in the initial report?

It is our responsibility as residents of Southern Grampians Shire to safeguard our natural treasures for future generations. Prompt action is crucial to halt this short-sighted and irreversible catastrophe. Let’s stand together and urge the Shire Council to preserve the Plane Trees for the generations to come. Protect our heritage, don’t cut it down!  

Sign this petition now to save the Plane Trees in Hamilton’s CBD.