Community groups and local government officials in Kalamunda are racing against the clock to find a solution after it was revealed an avenue of old gum trees would be removed to make way for a new church development next week.
Around 10 lemon-scented mature gum trees along Welshpool Road East in Wattle Grove are set to be cut down on October 2 for a new development in the area, which requires the trees gone so a slip-lane for traffic filing into the St Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church can be built.
A petition calling for the City of Kalamunda to review its decision to chop the massive trees has gathered nearly 10,000 supporters... however plans to begin construction and cut the trees are still set to kick off.
While the church and the council fight to save the trees, both sides have encountered issues around cost restraints and conflicting advice from Main Roads WA.
City of Kalamunda mayor Andrew Waddell said the shire had struggled to find a solution to the problem and called on the church's developer to make the first move.
"City staff have also spoken with the developer who advised they were open to considering alternative solutions," he said.
"At this stage the only solution would be for the developer to seek access from another landowner.
"We are now calling on the developer to enter into negotiations with adjoining land owners if they do want to save the trees. The developer is advising this is cost prohibitive.
"It is extremely disappointing that they seem to be putting costs over community safety and the trees."
Main Roads statistics indicate there have been 127 crashes on Welshpool Road East between Boundary Road and Crystal Brook Road in the past 10 years, which resulted in five fatalities.
The road was named under the national BlackSpot project, and is currently subject to a number of conditions in order to keep it safe for drivers.
"If the developer wished to retain the trees they must consider access other than from Welshpool Road East. This is about saving lives," Mr Waddell said.
"We cannot allow another entry point from Welshpool Road East without controls, as it is not safe.
"If the developer goes ahead with the approval and creates the slip lane, council has required them to replant new trees for any they remove."
However, the St Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church has rejected the council's criticisms and said it was doing all it could to engage the community and come up with an "amicable solution".
"It was not our idea to cut the trees, it was the idea that Main Roads proposed and was enforced by the shire," a church spokesman said.
"It was never the churches idea to cut down those trees. We have phoned an independent traffic consultant and they told us there e is no need for the slip lane and no reason to cut down those trees.
"We have put forward about six or seven different options over the last couple of years and we have forwarded those options again to the shire this week - [one solution was] the length can be shortened so we can save some of the trees.
"They will learn from their mistakes. We need the shire, we need the community, and we are not angry with the community for stopping the work because that's their absolute right to protest. And a lot of our members are the community too - we are the community.
"Our hands are tied, but that's the stance Main Roads took and the shire had to go along with it. They now have the capacity to review this decision."
Both groups have until October 2 to put forward a solution in order to alleviate community concerns, and options will again be discussed at the next council meeting on Tuesday.
