Occupants of heritage houses on Templeton Street, between Adair and Parker Streets, were distressed to discover that electricity supplier Powercor had pruned trees outside their homes last week. They were upset at the severity of the works and the resulting shape of the trees. 

“They’ve totally butchered the trees and ruined the aesthetics of the street,” one resident told the [Tarrangower] Times. “I know they do it for line-clearing, but they don’t have to make it look so terrible.

” The [Tarrangower] Times contacted Powercor to ask why the trees were cut so dramatically. A spokesperson responded: “Vegetation cutting is an important part of how we keep our power network safe and reliable. We inspect 100 per cent of our network each year and we cut back trees and branches from around 50,000 powerlines annually. In this case, we identified vegetation that needed to be cut and our teams attended in April to begin this work. Those teams operated under live-line conditions to avoid a planned power outage for the people of Maldon.

”Another resident pointed out that not only is the result top-sided trees, but that the trimming included many branches lower on the trunks, well away from power lines.

“This tree has been shading the house for a hundred years,” they said. “It will never grow back; it will never be the same.”

Asked whether the heritage value of these particular trees had been considered, Powercor stated: “Precautions were taken to ensure compliance of at least two metres, plus allowing or at least two years’ growth. We continually work with our contractors and cutting teams to ensure they remain sensitive to aesthetics and neighbourhood character wherever they can, while ensuring that we remain compliant with Victorian state regulations which are enforced by Energy Safe Victoria.”

There was also confusion amongst residents about why the workers who cut the trees, presumably contractors, had clipped the same trees twice in a short period. Powercor said the second crew returned in June to complete the work that had been commenced in April, and to remove lower branches.

The residents were also not impressed that while large branches were removed, the bulk of the clean-up was left to occupants. Powercor responded: “For private property, our teams notify customers of cutting required at their address, complete the required pruning work then return to remove debris.” Since the trees on Templeton Street were on the nature strip, it is not clear whether the crew was expected to return, but home occupants had already cleared the debris when the TT visited.

No notice to residents required

The Powercor spokesperson also provided some more general information for residents about the company’s tree cutting program: “Our trained cutting teams can enter private property to cut trees back from powerlines, and also work on public land across our network. We always notify customers about cutting works when trees are on private property,” they said. “As these trees were on council land, no notification to residents was required.”  

They added: “When urgent cutting is identified, we aren’t always able to provide advance notice.”

Regulator determines cuts

In general, regarding the severity of the pruning and its aesthetic effect on the heritage streetscape, the spokesperson deferred to the clearance requirements that are regulated by Victoria’s energy safety regulator, Energy Safe Victoria (ESV). But those who view the trees through the windows of their homes are not convinced. 

“If these things have to be done, they could be done better,” a resident concluded.

This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 5 July 2024.