General News
17 February, 2024
Kepler Street trees to stay
THIRTY mature New Zealand Christmas trees will be retained along Kepler Street.
Warrnambool City Council last week announced it would keep the trees in their current format in direct response to community feedback.
Council had considered removing the trees, which are located within the footpath and have caused some damage to the path surface, and replacing them with trees planted in special pits that would reduce the risk of damage to other infrastructure.
Before proceeding with any removal, council asked residents whether they were comfortable with the removal and replacement of the trees or whether they preferred to see them retained.
“A clear majority of residents wanted the trees retained and feedback from Kepler Street business owners revealed most either liked the trees or felt neutral about them,” Warrnambool mayor Cr Blain said.
“The overall feedback has informed our decision. Council still plans to proceed with the upgrade of the footpath to improve accessibility in our CBD, but we’ll now work around the trees.
“It was great to have advice from the community and businesses about a preferred way forward and there was very strong sentiment around keeping the trees.”
The trees feature in photographs from many decades ago and, as a result, have long been a part of the fabric of the city.
“They provide year-round shade and stunning flowers over the Christmas period,” Cr Blain said.
