as posted here
FORMER Fremantle mayor Peter Tagliaferri has criticised the City of Gosnells for its treatment of Thornlie’s “tree man”, claiming the council has been “seriously heavy-handed” with Richard Pennicuik.
Mr Tagliaferri said he wanted to help Mr Pennicuik, who he believed had been given “bad advice” about dealing with Gosnells.
“I don’t think the council has the right to order him out of the tree,” he said.
Mr Tagliaferri said Mr Pennicuik’s lawyers should have made a proper application to the council and allowed the matter to go through due process.
However, Mr Pennicuik’s lawyer John Hammond said he did not believe that going through due process with the council would have gotten Mr Pennicuik anywhere considering the council’s current attitude.
Mr Pennicuik has been camped in a tree on the verge outside his house on Hume Road in Thornlie since December 7.
The City of Gosnells claims the tree’s limbs pose a danger to the public and must be cut down.
However, Mr Tagliaferri said the tree could be better maintained so that it would not have to be chopped down.
“The same trees are at Kings Park and no one wants to cut them down,” he said.
Mr Hammond sent a letter to the council’s lawyers offering to end the saga if the council agreed only to remove limbs deemed dangerous by an independent arborist. He also suggested the council pay for the arborist and drop its prosecution against Mr Pennicuik.
However, City chief executive Ian Cowie said the matter would be discussed only once Mr Pennicuik came down from the tree.
“The City has a copy of an existing independent arborist’s report commissioned by the protestor or his supporters which sets out a series of recommendations if the tree were to remain,” he said.
“The City estimates the cost of these works to ratepayers would be around $4000 per tree initially and a total of around $10,000 per tree over a four-ear period. The City will not inflict these costs on ratepayers.”
Mr Pennicuik has been summonsed to appear in the Armadale Magistrate’s Court on April 6.
Mr Tagliaferri said he would visit Mr Pennicuik this week to share his advice.
as posted here
Tagliaferi ... no wonder he's an ex Mayor. His opinions count for nothing. As for trees in Kings Park - yes, great, keep them in a public open space, not on a residential street verge. He needs to go sit in a tree too.
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