Rosebank's old trees felled

The architects developing a new site in Rosebank are about to be served with a legal notice by the City, charging them with the illegal felling of mature trees on the land.

GLH & Associates Architects, commissioned with constructing an office development for Standard Bank on the corner of Bolton Road and Cradock Avenue, illegally cut down a number of trees over the age of 60 years.

Trees over this age are protected by the National Forest Act of 1998 and the Environment Conservation Act of 1989. The protection applies to both indigenous and exotic trees, on either private or public property.

Gabriel Motsatsi, the senior horticulturist and acting general manager for street trees at Johannesburg City Parks, says that he hopes to have a lawyer's letter delivered to GLH by the end of the week.

"It is sad to see trees of that magnitude being cut down," he says. "It shouldn't have happened." The corner of Bolton Road and Cradock Avenue was a mass of trees, including planes, pin oaks, palms, poplars, jacarandas and the only indigenous tree, a white stinkwood.

Motsatsi says the matter is with the City's legal department. He estimates that one of the trees, a pin oak, was between 82 and 85 years old. It had a canopy measuring about 25 metres by 15 metres - measured from a satellite image - with a trunk diameter of 850 centimetres.

Architect Louise O'Raw of GLH disputes the age of the oak tree, however. She says the firm consulted with Insite Landscape Architects, which indicated that the tree was probably about 25 years old. Claims that the canopy was 25 metres are "rather exaggerated".

O'Raw maintains that permission was obtained. "We had all the relevant approvals, from the planning department. We don't believe we are doing anything against the law."

The cutting down of the trees has caused an outcry. "It is unacceptable that developers can be allowed to remove trees which have been part of the environment of Rosebank for so long," says architect Brian McKechnie.

Urban planner Edna Peres, is equally outraged: "What kind of precedent are we setting for the city? Are we saying that it is okay to recreate the sterile Sandton environment in our much-loved established suburbs? How much longer must the city be held to ransom by developers?"

Any company or person wanting to cut down trees over 60 years old needs to apply for permission to the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson.

The charge comes with a R10 000 fine, plus the value of the trees that have been removed.

Motsatsi estimates that a healthy tree of over 80 years old, like the oak, would cost R30 000 to replace. The amount would add up as the number of felled trees rises.

Half of the site has been demolished. A four-storey building took up the whole site, with trees encircling it. The other half of the building is awaiting demolition.

In the past six months, more than 50 cases of illegal removal of trees have been registered, says Motsatsi. Seven of these cases went the legal route, with residents paying the penalty.

"We cut down the trees with a heavy heart, but we will be giving something even better than before back," adds O'Raw. The plans include making almost a third of the site a public piazza, at ground level, which will be landscaped with indigenous trees, and a cafe.

"We have spent a lot of time on urban planning - we will be putting more trees back than what we are removing," she says.

The Standard Bank building is to rise 11 storeys into the air, whereas, says O'Raw, it has rights to build up to 20 storeys. Construction started last week and is expected to be complete by the end of 2012.

Peres concludes: "Don't you think it's time for us to get mad, really mad, about the quality of public space including streets, pavements and trees, in our city?"

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