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Belmont City Council unanimously adopted a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) policy on 23 April 2024, creating a process to protect trees of particular significance. Mayor Robert Rossi called it a starting point, arguing that strict criteria and roughly $1,000 in upfront costs could discourage homeowners from seeking protection. The City’s current guidance lists a $147 application fee and a separate $957.26 initial arborist inspection fee.
What Belmont Council adopted
The City of Belmont Council voted 7–0 to adopt an amended Tree Preservation Order Council Policy at its meeting on 23 April 2024. Under the policy, a landowner could apply to protect a tree on their land, an adjoining landowner could apply where the tree canopy overhung their property, and the City could issue an order itself. The amendments also provided for future annual arboricultural inspections to be paid for by the City. The confirmed council minutes record the decision.
A TPO is not a blanket restriction on every tree in Belmont. The City says an order may be issued only when a tree is significant enough to merit additional protection. Once an order applies, PerthNow reported that cutting, removing or destroying the covered tree requires written City approval. PerthNow’s 3 May 2024 account described the policy’s adoption and Rossi’s response.
Why the mayor said it did not go far enough
Mayor Robert Rossi said the policy was a necessary first step but that its requirements and costs could make it harder to protect trees on private land. As reported by PerthNow on 3 May 2024, he said: “I see this as a starting point … but I feel if you want reasons to save trees on private land, which we all do, placing really strict guidelines (and) a cost of roughly $1000 upfront in my view isn’t the way to get that to happen.”
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Rossi also argued for a way to reward homeowners who retain trees. He told PerthNow: “I believe that this policy doesn’t go far enough but we need a starting point and we also need the State Government to lift its game too.” These were the mayor’s views, not a council finding about the policy’s effectiveness.
Which trees may qualify for a TPO
The City’s current guidance says a nominated tree must meet at least one of three broad significance criteria:
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- Scientific, environmental or biological significance
- Cultural or historical significance
- Landscape or amenity significance
A City arborist inspects the tree to assess whether it meets the criteria and to consider its condition and existing or potential impacts. The policy review recorded in the 24 March 2026 council minutes also sets out factors including useful life, roots, risk, dimensions and maintenance. The City retains discretion to issue or decline an order based on its assessment.
Who can nominate a tree and what an application costs
According to the City’s current Tree Preservation Orders guidance, a nomination may be made by the owner of the property where the tree stands, or by the owner of an adjoining property if the tree’s canopy extends over that property. The City can also initiate an order.
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The City page lists these materials and fees for a nomination, as of 8 October 2026:
- Photos of the tree
- A scaled site plan
- A $147 application fee
- A separate $957.26 initial arborist inspection fee
Check the City’s page before applying, because fees and requirements can change. The $957.26 is the currently listed initial inspection fee; it is not the same charge as the annual inspection figure reported in 2024. PerthNow’s 3 May 2024 account cited a $927 annual arborist inspection cost and Rossi’s estimate of roughly $1,000 upfront.
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Who pays for inspections and tree maintenance
The 2024 amendments put future annual arboricultural inspections at the City’s cost. The policy reproduced in the March 2026 minutes says a City-certified arborist is to review protected trees at least annually, also at City cost. Owners or occupants remain responsible for maintenance costs.
How the TPO differs from the later private-tree policy debate
The TPO is a process for assessing and protecting particular trees that meet significance criteria. It can be initiated by an eligible landowner or adjoining owner, or by the City, and an arborist assessment informs the City’s decision.
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A separate proposal concerning removal of trees on private property was reported by PerthNow on 23 December 2025, when council deferred consideration of a proposed local planning policy. That debate is distinct from the 2024 TPO. The later report did not say the TPO had been repealed: the City continued to publish TPO guidance, and its March 2026 policy review reproduced the ongoing order framework. PerthNow’s December 2025 report covers the separate planning-policy matter.
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