Latest news with #AlisonXamon
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Grim news for owners of vacant land in one Perth suburb
City of Vincent vacant land owners will feel the push to develop from a 25 per cent increase in rates. The rates increase is part of the city's 2025-26 budget that was adopted unanimously at the council's June 17 meeting. In a media statement, the city said the budget focused on essential services and projects that mattered most to the community. Your local paper, whenever you want it. It said while residents were feeling the pressure of a challenging economic climate, the city was also continuing to face rising costs. Residents in the city will have a 4.5 per cent increase in rates, which equates to $1.41 per week or $73.25 per year. Rates for vacant residential properties will increase by 25 per cent. Mayor Alison Xamon said they knew people were 'doing it tough' so the budget aimed to balance the pressure of the city's rising costs while ensuring it delivered core services and continued working on main projects. 'This is why we have worked hard to form a responsible budget that goes back to basics and ensures our roads, drainage, footpaths, playgrounds and facilities are accessible and kept to a high standard.' she said. 'We were recently named the second largest metropolitan council by the Office of the Auditor General for best practice in financial reporting and one of the top 20 councils in WA. 'This achievement is a testament to how seriously we take transparency and accountability in our financial management for our community.' The budget includes funding for infrastructure upgrades, playground renewals, tree planting and community programs such as events like Rainbow Picnic, Festival of Culture, Perth Festival and Jazz Picnic in the Park. 'Our parks and sporting facilities are well-used by both locals and visitors to Vincent so we continue to invest in the maintenance and upgrade of these spaces,' Ms Xamon said. 'New playgrounds are planned for Brigatti Gardens, Britannia Reserve South and Hyde Park West, ensuring our parks continue to provide safe and enjoyable spaces for local families. 'One of our top priorities is to increase the tree canopy in Vincent, and this year we will be planting more trees and continuing to respond to the polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation.' Vincent was ranked the eighth-lowest residential rating councils in metropolitan Perth in 2024-25.
West Australian
04-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
At least 300 trees to be cleared from Hyde Park as part of shot-hole borer blitz
At least 300 trees are set to be cleared from the Hyde Park islands as part of a blitz to eradicate the polyphagous shot-hole borer. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on Wednesday said it was working with the City of Vincent to remove up to 300 host plants — including native and non-WA native trees — from the lake's two islands over the next four to six weeks. DPIRD would not confirm how many infected trees had been removed since works began on May 19. 'The only WA native species on the Hyde Park islands are Melaleuca rhaphiophylla and Eucalyptus rudis,' a spokesperson told The West. 'Other species being removed include eastern states Casuarina spp. Melaleuca spp. and Eucalyptus spp. and non-native woody weeds including Erythrina x sykesii and Ficus sp.' The PSHB — which is native to southeast Asia — is a small beetle which burrows into trees and infects them with a fungus that slowly kills them from the inside. The only way to eradicate the beetle is to remove the infected trees. 'DPIRD is continuing to work in close collaboration with the City of Vincent to manage PSHB in Hyde Park, as part of the nationally funded and coordinated emergency bio-security response,' the spokesperson said. 'PSHB surveillance and management will continue in Hyde Park to protect the high value fig and London plane trees.' Thirteen infested trees at Hyde Park have already been removed, with another 33 pruned to their limit. A further 45 have been treated with insecticides as part of an ongoing chemical trial. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said she was 'deeply saddened' to hear the beetle had burrowed its way onto the lake's islands. She said the city would plant up to 4000 new plants and mature trees on the lake's islands. 'Losing the tree is the last thing anyone wants to see, but DPIRD have determined this precaution is necessary to stop the borer spreading to other healthy trees at the park,' Ms Xamon told The West. 'Following DPIRD's works, we will be acting quickly on our three-year restoration program which has been formed in partnership with industry experts. 'About 4000 new plants, that will be resilient to the borer and climate change, will be planted on the islands this winter including mature trees. 'We previously restored the eastern island in 2012, which gives us confidence that our program will see the islands flourish again.' It comes just days after the State Government announced local councils could apply for the first round of its WA Tree Recovery Local Government Grant Program. Councils can receive up to $1140 in funding for each tree that is removed as a result of PSHB, but the City of Vincent is yet to apply for funding. PSHB has been confirmed in more than 80 suburbs across Perth since it was first detected in August 2021.
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
More mature trees to be removed from beloved Perth park
More trees are set to be planted on City of Vincent streets as work continues to remove trees infected with the polyphagous shot-hole borer from the Hyde Park islands. Some surrounding trees will also be pruned during the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's work to remove bore-infested trees. 'Losing trees is the last thing anyone wants to see, but this precaution is being taken to stop the borer spreading to healthy trees in Hyde Park,' the City of Vincent said on its website. Your local paper, whenever you want it. It said the focus was now on rehabilitating the islands as quickly as possible, ensuring the 'long-term beauty and health of the park'. More trees are set to be planted on City of Vincent streets as work continues to remove trees infected with the polyphagous shot-hole borer from the Hyde Park islands. Credit: Sophie Gannon A three-year restoration program for the islands includes planting 4000 plants, including mature trees, throughout winter to help the canopy recover as soon as possible. The city plans to replace trees lost from the islands. The removals started last week, during which the city also announced the start of its annual planting season. About 450 trees will be planted across streetscapes and verges, 165 more than last year with help from a State Government Urban Greening Grant. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon and acting senior technical officer Ben Bevan from the parks team. Credit: Luke Riley A range of native and climate-friendly species from eucalyptus to melaleuca will be planted from May to September. Mayor Alison Xamon said they would help increase the city's urban canopy. 'Trees provide many benefits to the community, such as essential habitat for local wildlife, biodiversity, shade, mitigating the impact of climate change, better amenity and walkability in residential areas,' she said. Ms Xamon said the new plants were not preferred or reproductive hosts of the polyphagous shot-hole borer. City of Vincent residents who would like to request a new or additional verge tree for next year's planting season can fill in an online form before September 30 on the city's website.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Why Perth locals are covering this fence in dirty socks
A quirky sock-covered fence has become the latest symbol of community frustration in North Perth, as locals ramp up their protest against the controversial 24/7 service station proposed for Angove Street. Dozens of dirty socks cover the fence of the unused site at 41-43 Angove Street, a peaceful but meaningful protest aimed at the proposed development of a 24-hour petrol station by South Australian-based company On the Run. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said that the protest is a non-violent direct action by community members in protest of an inappropriate proposal. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'The community is fed up and frustrated that their legitimate concerns are not being heeded, and this is a creative way to get their message across. It is obviously getting to the proponents, which is why they keep sending people out to take the socks down,' she said. The proposed location is within 50m of North Perth Primary School. Credit: Supplied Ms Xamon described the street as a 'well-loved and popular pedestrian-friendly hub' with an abundance of shops, cafes and restaurants. 'It is not a suitable location for a 24/7 service station,' she said. Sally Baker, North Perth resident and member of the local campaign Stop The Station, said the fight had been going on for two years. 'We just want the community to know we're still fighting, so we did the dirty socks to raise awareness that it's ongoing and we're not stopping,' she said. 'OTR want it to be like Bunnings — completely take over. Their main thing is 24/7 service with a convenience store that actually makes more money than the petrol.' She also shared health concerns residents have due to the proximity to North Perth Primary School and many homes. 'There's proven research that benzene is in the air around petrol stations and we're all going to suffer,' Ms Baker said. 'The EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) recommends 100m from sensitive land uses, but this is just 50m from the primary school. Local campaigners outside the site on Angove Street. Credit: Facebook / Stop the Station 'My apartment block butts up against the site, like 5m. The risk of cancer, especially leukaemia in children, doubles when living close to service stations. That's a fact.' The group has organised a petition, protests and letter drops to raise awareness and now waits anxiously for an outcome from the State Administrative Tribunal. The petition currently has more than 1060 signatures. Ms Baker said that a community development, such a cafe with apartments, would be a more suitable option for the area. 'Even something like Chinta would be great,' she said. OTR purchased the site for $3.25 million in 2021. In May 2023 a development application submitted to the Metro-Inner City Joint Development Assessment Panel was rejected and then appealed by the applicant. Dozens of dirty socks cover the fence of the unused site at 41-43 Angove Street, Credit: Supplied 'Our Local Planning Scheme No. 2 also prohibits new service stations from being built in residential, mixed-use and centre zones, including the North Perth town centre,' Ms Xamon said. At the time Ms Xamon said there were already 24/7 petrol stations in the area so there was 'no need for another one in the heart of Angove Street'. 'This has been a controversial issue for a number of years now and we have made it clear that we do not want a service station operating on the vacant site,' she said at the time. Ms Xamon said that the city would 'continue to defend council's decision and represent the community's concerns on a proposed service station operating in the heart of the town centre at future SAT meetings'. PerthNow reached out to OTR but did not receive a response. A mediation meeting between OTR and the DAP is scheduled on June 27 and a preliminary hearing on July 22 and 23.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Hyde Park islands to be stripped as shot-hole borer infestation takes hold
Vegetation on the two lake islands at Perth's historic Hyde Park will be cleared over six weeks, after it was found to be heavily infested with polyphagous shot-hole borer. The tiny, invasive, tree-killing pest was detected in 2021 and has since led to the destruction of more than 4,000 trees in the Perth metropolitan area as the state government follows an intensive elimination strategy. Laid out as a classical English garden in 1890 and beloved for its Moreton Bay figs and London Plane trees, Hyde Park has been seriously threatened by the shot-hole borer. Alison Xamon, Mayor of the City of Vincent, which manages the park, said the loss of so many trees was "crushing", but the council believed that removing the trees and implementing a restoration strategy was the best way forward. Because the tiny borer beetles can fly, removal of the island's trees is seen as the best way to stop further spread in the park. "The priority out at Hyde Park is to do everything possible to try to preserve the massive fig trees, which are over 100 years old, and provide the majority canopy at Hyde Park," Ms Xamon said. Vincent Lanoiselet, chief plant biosecurity officer at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), which is managing the state's response to the borer, said complete removal of the affected plants in Hyde Park was the best option. "On those islands, we have coral tree and she-oaks or casuarina. There's a couple of melaleuca as well." Dr Lanoiselet told Mark Gibson on ABC Radio Perth. "That's, unfortunately, the kind of tree that has been found to be infested quite heavily with PSHB [the borer]. Ms Xamon said the efforts to protect the historic Moreton Bay figs had so far been largely successful. "17 months ago, the state government presented us with a scenario where we were about to lose about 20 massive trees," she said. "Since then, City of Vincent has worked really hard, with DPIRD and volunteer arborists from ArbWest, to take a more nuanced response to how we're dealing with the polyphagous shot-hole borer, particularly in the plane trees and the fig trees. "We have had to remove three trees, but the other trees which have been infested, we've been able to simply remove infested limbs rather than going straight to removing the entire tree." Dr Lanoiselet said efforts to treat some of Hyde Park's trees with insecticide were also ongoing. "I can tell you that 45 trees within the park have been treated with contact and systemic insecticide as part of an ongoing chemical trial that we are undertaking with the City of Vincent," he said. The department is also working closely with the City of Canning, in Perth's south, on a trial that involves injecting trees with pellets containing fungicide and insecticide, that has shown promising early results. In the meantime, the council is focusing on rehabilitation efforts. Ms Xamon said the City of Vincent had developed a three-year plan for replanting, involving 4,000 trees and shrubs that would be planted on the islands this winter. "The timing of the removal of the trees is designed to minimise any disruption to the breeding seasons of both the birds and the tortoises that use the islands to breed." The city will have an animal handler on site during the replanting program to protect birds and tortoises that might remain during the replanting program. Ms Xamon has reiterated her calls for more government funding to cover the costs of fighting and rehabilitating council parks affected by the borer, saying the final cost of the restoration is likely to be millions of dollars. "We need to continue to look at addressing this because Hyde Park is not just a park for residents, it's a park for all West Australians."
