Jennifer Kutell, Constantia
The house opposite us (25 Walloon Road, Constantia) has been bought by Robbie Ross, of Ross Demolition, and, in the space of a week, they have laid waste to every tree, creeper and living thing in the 30-year-old garden.
The devastatingly huge amounts of debris and branches have been sitting on the kerb for the last week.
I then heard the chainsaws starting up again, and when I went to have a look at why it sounded so close, I saw that they were starting to saw off the branches of the huge tree on municipal land on the corner of Walloon and Innesfree roads.
They had already sawed off three boughs when I stopped them. The guys working on the tree, after first telling me they were trimming it, admitted that they had instructions to cut the tree down.
My husband called Robbie Ross, who agreed not to cut any more boughs off.
An hour or so later, they managed to get another bough down before my husband and I stopped them.
I stopped a police car and asked them to intervene, and it was during that conversation with the policeman that I heard one of the tree cutters say that “Mr Ross would get the permit and they would cut it down then.”
Eddie Andrews, mayoral committee member for area south, responds:
The City is aware of the complaint and can confirm that the tree had been cut without prior consent. Our staff have been to the property on two occasions already to ensure that the work has stopped.
They have also tracked down the property owner who gave his assurance that no more work will be done on the tree. Staff will monitor the situation to ensure compliance.
For the record, the City’s tree management policy clearly states that no person may prune or remove a tree planted on City land without prior authority from the City parks department. In the event of a person or persons being guilty of such an act, the City may impose the necessary fines.
* The Bulletin contacted Robbie Ross who said he had four gardeners who had been working on his property for the past week and throwing the vegetation over the wall. He said no-one from the City had spoken to him about the tree on his pavement. However, he had trimmed the tree after a burglar used it to climb over his wall.