This community consultation is now closed.
Have Your Say – Street Trees and Verge Gardens
Bellingen Shire Council recognises the significant benefit that street trees and public verges provide to the community. Street trees offer shade, help to reduce the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, reduce run-off and erosion, support local wildlife, provide visual amenity, enhance local character and provide a sense of place. Public verges are an important part of the urban streetscape providing both a green space and a place for street trees as well as a place for underground services and pedestrian access.
To proactively ensure good management of these assets, Bellingen Shire Council is inviting community feedback on four key documents that will inform Council’s approach to tree and verge management across the Shire:
1. Updated Council Managed Trees Policy(PDF, 359KB) : establishes a holistic framework for managing trees on Council-controlled land.
2. Street Tree Guidelines(PDF, 9MB) : designed to help Council make informed planting selections, reduce risk and deliver positive environmental outcomes.
3. Verge Maintenance Policy(PDF, 349KB) : formalises Council’s approach to verge maintenance.
4. Verge Gardening Guidelines(PDF, 6MB) : provides residents with a framework to establish gardens on the verge outside their property.
We encourage all community members to review these documents and share their feedback either online using the form below, by email, or by post.
Submissions close Friday 27 June 2025 at 5pm.