Redland spends $4k replanting trees

Council also put up a fence to stop wallabies eating the plants, which include 470 casuarina glauca,10 melaleuca quinquenervia and 10 eucalyptus siderophloia.

The state government required the work after council breached the Fisheries Act, an offence which can attract fines of up to $220,000.

Council said the original clearing of marine trees along the foreshore was carried out in response to requests from residents under council’s View Management Strategy. 

But a Carolena Street resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said council did not ask her if she wanted the trees felled nor did it ask about building a fence along Eddie Santaguiliana Way.

The resident said she received a letter after the planting had occurred.

Lobby group Redlands 2030 spokesman Chris Walker said time, money and trees could have been saved if the council and the local councillor Kim Hardman had consulted residents.

“The original clearing of trees was not just illegal and a waste of ratepayers’ money, it also failed to achieve the objective of pleasing the people who had petitioned for ‘view management’,” he said.

“On both occasions, the council failed to give local residents any notice of the proposed work plan and opportunity for people to comment before work started.

“One of the local residents admitted they were surprised by the way the areas were razed when all they wanted was a bit of thinning.

“If Division 3 had a more effective councillor, this whole tragedy of errors might have been avoided,” he said.

Cr Hardman said she had worked closely with Thornlands residents and council had sent out two letters notifying residents of the works.   

"I met with residents at the start of this process and was aware of their petition and the view management work done as a result of that petition," Cr Hardman said.

"More recently, I was made aware council was negotiating with the state and stakeholders and had provided advice to residents about the planned revegetation."