The Boroondara community places a high value on the trees that populate our city. We’re reminded of this in the very name “Boroondara”, meaning “where the ground is thickly shaded”.

In recent years, community concern has been growing about the damage to, or loss of, established trees caused by building works on private land, specifically:

While our Tree Protection Local Law already protects significant trees and canopy trees, Council is seeking community feedback about improving ways to prevent their damage or removal.

Consulting you about improving ways to protect trees

Every Victorian Council has a planning scheme that controls how land can be used and built on. Councils can apply to the Minster for Planning to add overlays to specific areas to provide greater control of specific issues such as environment or heritage.

We are proposing to use 2 planning overlays to further protect trees in Boroondara:

1. the Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO) (PDF 127 KB) to protect significant trees from removal, pruning or impacts from building works and
2. the Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO) (PDF 142 KB) to protect canopy trees from removal or impacts from building works.

Introduction of the new overlays would provide:

• earlier consideration of the impacts on existing trees in the development process before design decisions are made
• protection of trees by making planning approval a requirement for works to be undertaken to – or close to – relevant trees
• greater transparency that tree controls exist because overlays are included on planning certificates in Section 32 documentation for homeowners and prospective home buyers
• a clear, independent process for appeals to VCAT in the event of Council not granting planning approval.

Community consultation outcome (July to September 2025)

• 302 responses were received through the online survey.
• 107 responses were received to a quick-poll question.
• 26 written submissions were received via other methods such as email.

• 78% of respondents support Council exploring ways to protect trees through the planning scheme.
• 79% supported introducing an overlay to protect significant trees.
• 77% supported introducing an overlay to protect canopy trees.
• 41% of respondents supported the proposed canopy tree definition criteria.
• 35% felt the canopy criteria should be more restrictive and 23% that they should be less restrictive.

Additional feedback from community members included some concerns about:

• specific trees – and tree maintenance – on or adjacent to the respondent’s property.
• potential damage caused by trees to properties and potential impact to property values.
• the proposed controls deterring people from planting new trees.
• how the proposed controls will interact with other planning controls and the existing tree local law.
• how the Environmental Significance Overlay is applicable to only a very small area of a property.

Some general objections to the proposed new planning overlays were also expressed by community members.

New government tree planning controls

During Council's consultation period, the Victorian Government introduced new state-wide, tree planning controls into the Boroondara Planning Scheme.

You can access this new planning control on the Victorian Government's website: Boroondara Planning Scheme (52.37 – Canopy Trees)

Council officers welcomed the new provision, however it provides less protection than the existing local law or the proposed new overlays. Council resolved to still seek authorisation for the proposed new overlays.

Next steps

Council will apply to the Minister for Planning for authorisation to prepare and exhibit the proposed new overlays.

To stay informed about these developments via email over the coming months, please select the +Follow button:

How we asked for your feedback

Consultation closed on Thursday 25 September 2025.

Quick poll

The quick poll has now closed.

Thank you to everyone who participated. The poll was available for those who did not have time to complete the survey.

Speaking with us

Visit us by coming to the Council’s Customer Service counter and ask for directions to the Planning counter on Level 1. You can use either the lift or the stairs to access Level 1.

Where: 8 Inglesby Road, Camberwell – see Google Maps for our location
When: 9 am to 5 pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays – until 25 September 2025

Glossary of terms

There are several terms on this consultation page that are technical in nature. To help explain what these terms mean, we have created a quick glossary of terms below: