Parks, Playgrounds & Trees
Greening Port Phillip
Download - Greening Port Phillip - An Urban Forest Approach
Contact council to request a printed copy
The vision for the future
The City of Port Phillip is uniquely positioned to achieve this vision because:
- We are located in a landscape of natural beauty – Port Phillip Bay, right next to the heart of
Melbourne, creating a unique and desirable place to live and work. - Good planning in the past has left a legacy of beautiful and green historic parks, public and private gardens and many tree lined streets that contribute to a mature tree canopy cover and
greening across most of our neighbourhoods. - There is a high level of awareness and commitment within the community of the need to take action now to ensure the current liveability is enhanced into the future.
This vision will be achieved by council, residents, businesses and local communities taking action together to green the municipality for the future.
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What is Port Phillip’s urban forest?
The City of Port Phillip’s urban forest is made up of:
- Front and backyard gardens
- Balcony gardens
- Rooftop gardens and green roofs
- Vertical gardens – vegetation growing up the walls of buildings and fences
- Street trees, shrubs and ground covers on nature strips, median strips and round-a-bouts
- Trees and gardens in public parks and reserves
- Trees and gardens in other open spaces – shopping strips, industrial properties, etc.
All of these green spaces form an urban forest that provides an essential balance to our highly urbanised environment and has a direct impact on residents daily lives and visitors, as well as on the liveability of the city in the long term.
The concept of an urban forest enables a united approach to the management of our green spaces by considering the role of public and private trees and vegetation in regional planning
and development.
An urban forest is the sum total of all trees and associated vegetation growing within an urban area.
Greening objectives
Council will achieve its vision for greening Port Phillip by:
- Enhancing liveability - Creating a sense of place, shaping the future of Port Phillip and caring for our naturalenvironment (Council Plan Goal 4, Strategies 4.1 - 4.4).
- Adapting and sustaining - Preparing the Port Phillip’s community and council assets for a different climatic future (Council Plan Goal 2, Strategy 2.1).
Council will enhance liveability by:
- Ensuring planning policies and strategies including the Municipal Strategic Statement, Urban Design Frameworks and Structure Plans incorporate trees to achieve the desired neighbourhood character.
- Ensuring that greening activities in open spaces, including tree planting and alternative greening options, maintain and enhance the unique character and beauty of Port Phillip.
- Maintaining and enhancing streetscapes for improved amenity, liveability, character and sustainability through tree planting and implementing alternate greening options.
- Maintaining and enhancing trees in key boulevards and developing new boulevards.
- Having an integrated approach to tree planting to ensure that tree planting aligns with key capital works projects and initiatives.
Council will prepare community and council assets for a changed climate by:
- Managing and maintaining trees within the City of Port Phillip to ensure that they survive for future generations.
- Minimising the impact of the heat island effect by increasing the number of trees and overall canopy cover in the City of Port Phillip and by seeking other greening opportunities where trees cannot be planted.
- Ensuring equitable access to mature trees across our city by maintaining an optimum coverage and mix of tree type and age.
- Enhancing wildlife habitat, strengthening wildlife corridors and increasing biodiversity within the context of Port Phillip’s highly urbanised environment.
Measuring our success
We will measure progress towards achieving the Greening Port Phillip vision using five key indicators.
Strategic framework
The Greening Port Phillip Strategy provides the strategic framework and policy context for the development and management of trees in the City of Port Phillip.
Urban forestry is an integrated approach to the management of trees. It recognises that trees cannot be managed in isolation from other elements of the urban environment such as buildings, roads, footpaths and bike paths, utilities, open spaces and activity centres.
Protecting heritage values and enhancing neighbourhood character also need to be taken into consideration when planting and maintaining trees in parks and open spaces.
The key components of the Greening Port Phillip Strategy’s integrated approach to tree management are:
• A Tree Policy
• A Street Tree Planting Guide
• Tree Management Guidelines
• Strategic/Master Plans
Relationship to key council strategies and policies
There are a number of council strategies and policies that influence or inform the Greening Port Phillip Strategy.
The key documents include:
• City of Port Phillip Community Plan 2007-2017
• City of Port Phillip Council Plan 2009-2013
• Municipal Strategic Statement
• Structure Plans and Urban Design Frameworks for key precincts
• Open Space Strategy
• Water Plan
• Open Space Water Management Plan
• Climate Adaptation Plan
These key council strategies and policies are described below.
This chart shows the relationship of the Greening Port Phillip Strategy to other key council policies and strategies.
Stucture Plans and Urban Design
Frameworks for key precincts
These are detailed plans that provide the framework, vision and strategies for development of special precincts and activity centres. Structure Plans and Urban Design Frameworks, where they are in place, guide all development activities, including tree planting. Figure 2 describes the key elements of Port Phillip’s urban structure and how the Municipal Strategic Statement guides the more detailed structure plans and urban design frameworks, which in turn informs Greening Port Phillip
Download - Figure 2 : Structure Plans and Urban Design Frameworks
Tree Policy
The Tree Policy is the key mechanism by which council will take action towards achieving its Greening Port Phillip vision and objectives. The policy is divided into eight key policy areas which are:
1. Tree protection
2. Tree planting and selection
3. Tree removal and replacement
4. Climate change adaptation
5. Tree root management
6. Tree asset management
7. Trees and the urban character
8. Community consultation and involvement.
In each of these policy areas are a number of statements that describe council’s position for particular aspects of a key policy area. Each policy statement has specific actions and timeframes listed against it that details what council will do to implement the policy and when.
The policies and actions are based on council’s previous tree policy, which has been revised to reflect current challenges being faced by the city such as a changing climate, an aging tree population and increasing population. The new policies and actions are closely aligned with other key council strategies that also address these challenges.
The Policy also reflects the outcomes of extensive community consultation undertaken in 2009 as part of the development of the Greening Port Phillip Strategy.
Street Tree Planting Guide
The Street Tree Planting Guide is listed as a key action in the tree planting section of the tree policy. The Street Tree Planting Guide is a discrete document that will guide street tree planting in the City of Port Phillip for the next five years and inform the annual capital works budget. The plan will be revised every five years to reflect the changing status of street trees and to ensure that council achieves the objectives of the Greening Port Phillip Strategy.
Specifically, the plan aims to ensure that council:
- Maintains a balance of young, semi mature and mature trees across the municipality (to minimise risk of simultaneous mature tree loss across the city).
- Undertakes in-fill / replacement planting to replace street trees that have died or been removed.
- Increases the overall number and canopy cover of trees in the municipality.
The plan is based on an independent assessment of the status and condition of trees in each street within the municipality undertaken in 2009 by TreeLogic.
This provides council with a systematic method for prioritising street tree replacement and upgrade works annually in the capital works budget.
Once a street has been scheduled for works in the annual budget, a community consultation process will be undertaken for each tree planting project to determine the tree species and associated infrastructure required for that street.
Streets that have been identified in the plan as having no opportunities for tree planting because they are too narrow, are not included in the Street Tree Planting Guide. The plan addresses opportunities for tree planting only. Opportunities for greening streets that cannot accommodate trees will be identified by council through other means and is listed as an action in the tree policy.
Tree Management Guidelines
The Tree Management Guidelines detail all the tree planting and management processes used by the City of Port Phillip. All activities undertaken involving tree planting and management, either by council staff or contractors on behalf of council, will be in accordance with the Tree Management Guidelines.
Strategic/Master Plans
Tree Management Plans include such plans as precinct master plans, streetscape design plans and park master plans. These detailed design plans ensure that tree planting is aligned with other aspects of urban planning and design, in the context of neighbourhood character and taking into consideration historic, iconic and other important elements in the urban landscape.
If you would like more information on the the councils tree policy and strategy call the assist centre on (03) 9209 6777 or email assist@portphillip.vic.gov.au, you may also make an online request by using e-services
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