Yes, Fremantle may require development approval before you remove or damage a large tree on your property—but only if the tree and the land meet the City’s rules. Fremantle adopted Local Planning Policy 2.26 (LPP 2.26) in March 2025. Since then, Cockburn’s comparable policy has come into force, Melville has opened consultation on a draft, and Canning’s planning index now lists a tree-retention policy. The councils are at different stages, and their rules are not interchangeable.
What Fremantle’s policy means for property owners and projects
Fremantle’s current guidance says LPP 2.26 applies to lots in a Development Area, land zoned Industrial, and residential land coded R30 or below under the relevant Local Planning Scheme No. 4 provisions. It can be relevant to development and subdivision applications, other strategic planning proposals, or standalone work that could damage a regulated tree. It does not apply to verge trees; the City directs verge-tree questions to its Parks and Landscape team. City of Fremantle: Tree Retention Policy
A tree must satisfy both the applicable size and species conditions to be a regulated tree under the City’s guidance. It must meet at least one of these measurements and must not be listed on the State or local-area weed register:
- At least 8 metres tall.
- An average canopy diameter of at least 6 metres.
- A trunk circumference of at least 1.5 metres, measured 1.4 metres above ground.
In a covered area, development approval is required for damaging activity such as killing or removing the tree, severing major parts, ringbarking, topping, lopping, or other substantial damage. Meeting a size threshold by itself does not establish that approval is required: the tree’s species and the property’s location also matter. City of Fremantle: Tree Retention Policy
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Maintenance, exemptions and urgent hazards
Routine pruning that preserves the tree’s health is exempt. The City also identifies exceptions for palm trees, specified harmful or weed species, work already covered by an approved development, City work on trees it manages, certain emergency or essential-service work supported by evidence, and work by another government authority. If a tree presents an immediate hazard, it may be made safe; contact the City for advice before carrying out further work. Check the City’s current guidance before arranging tree work, since policy details and exemptions can change. City of Fremantle: Tree Retention Policy
How applications are assessed
The City says it considers the tree’s health, maturity, species and location; ecological, biodiversity and environmental value; streetscape contribution; design alternatives for retaining it; effects of excavation or fill; safety and infrastructure concerns; protection zones under Australian Standard 4970; replacement planting; arborist advice; and the policy’s objectives. Its guidance requires a report from a suitably qualified and experienced arboriculturist to provide evidence against relevant assessment points. Where removal is approved, the City’s adoption announcement says two replacement trees capable of becoming mature canopy trees must be planted. City of Fremantle: Tree Retention Policy City of Fremantle: policy adoption announcement
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Which councils have a tree-retention policy?
WALGA developed a model local planning policy in March 2024 to clarify when tree removal or damaging activity may require development approval and to encourage consistent private-land settings. It is a model that councils can adopt or adapt, not a statewide rule that automatically applies everywhere. WALGA says it revised the model in early 2026 to reflect best practice and implementation issues. As of August 2026, WALGA counted 11 local governments with a tree-retention policy based on, or incorporating elements of, its model. WALGA: Urban Forest
| Council | Status as of 8 October 2026 | What is established |
|---|---|---|
| Fremantle | Operative | LPP 2.26 was adopted in March 2025. Current guidance describes its land coverage and regulated-tree rules. Amendments proposed in 2026 are not confirmed as finally adopted. |
| Cockburn | In force from 28 May 2026 | LPP 5.23 was adopted in December 2025 subject to state approvals, then took effect after the WA Planning Commission and Minister for Planning approved deletion of the relevant scheme clause. It is based on WALGA’s model with local adjustments. |
| Melville | Draft under public consultation through 31 October 2026 | The City endorsed draft LPP 1.24, “Regulated Trees on Private Land,” for public advertising in June 2026. The draft is not an adopted policy. |
| Canning | Policy listed; detailed current status unclear | The City’s live planning index lists LP.02, “Tree Retention, Planting and Development.” The index alone does not establish its adoption date, scope, current protections, or whether it follows WALGA’s model. |
These stages matter. An adopted policy awaiting approvals is different from a policy in force, and a draft open for submissions is not settled law. Likewise, a policy title in a council index does not by itself reveal the rules property owners must follow. City of Cockburn: policy notices City of Melville: policy development and consultation City of Canning: Local Planning Policies
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What changed since the 2025 report?
Cockburn’s policy is now operative
Cockburn’s LPP 5.23 was adopted in December 2025 subject to state approvals and commenced on 28 May 2026. It is based on WALGA’s model, with local adjustments. It is therefore no longer accurate to describe Cockburn as merely considering a future policy. The City reported 323 submissions on the advertised draft; 76% supported requiring development approval to remove or damage certain private-land trees. Those figures describe consultation responses, not a representative poll of the whole population. City of Cockburn: policy notices
Melville is consulting on a draft
Melville requested a draft policy in December 2025 and endorsed draft LPP 1.24 for public advertising in June 2026. The City’s published project information sets consultation from 31 August to 31 October 2026. At the date of this article, the consultation period is still open, so the draft’s proposed rules should not be presented as final. City of Melville: policy development and consultation
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Canning’s current rules cannot be inferred from its listing
Canning’s current planning-policy index lists LP.02, “Tree Retention, Planting and Development,” but the listing does not establish the policy’s adoption date, coverage, protections, or relationship to WALGA’s model. A PerthNow report from 20 March 2025 said Canning would wait to see how WALGA’s model worked elsewhere and reported a $200 rates rebate for residents registering and retaining a significant private tree. That is a historical report; current availability of the rebate has not been verified. City of Canning: Local Planning Policies PerthNow, 20 March 2025
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fremantle’s proposed amendments are not confirmed as final
In April 2026, Fremantle endorsed proposed amendments for advertising, including extending coverage up to R40 and exempting a list of undesirable species from approval requirements. Submissions closed on 17 May 2026. The available council information establishes that the changes were proposed and advertised, but not that a final adoption decision was made. For now, use the City’s published current guidance rather than treating those proposed changes as operative. My Say Freo: LPP 2.23 and 2.26 amendments
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How to check before removing or pruning a tree
- Identify the council and property controls. Confirm which local government applies and whether the site falls within Fremantle’s covered land categories or another council’s policy area.
- Check the tree against the applicable definition. For Fremantle, compare height, average canopy diameter and trunk circumference with the City’s thresholds, and check the species condition.
- Describe the proposed work accurately. Removal, topping, lopping and substantial damage can trigger approval requirements; routine health-preserving maintenance pruning is listed as exempt in Fremantle.
- Review the council’s current policy and exemptions. Confirm the latest guidance before work begins, particularly where a proposal or consultation could change the rules.
- Get arboricultural advice and apply where required. Fremantle requires a suitably qualified and experienced arboriculturist’s report to address relevant assessment points.
Fremantle reported that 76% of residents who engaged with the City earlier in 2025 supported its policy. That figure describes the residents who engaged, not all Fremantle residents. City of Fremantle: policy adoption announcement
At the policy announcement, Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said: “There is no better day to plant a tree than today. There is no better day to protect a tree than today.” City of Fremantle: policy adoption announcement
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