RESIDENTS can continue trimming trees and managing vegetation on their properties without needing planning approval amid concerns over proposed environmental regulations.
The clarification comes after Redland City Council investigated reintroducing the Environmental Significance Overlay, a measure first suggested in 2021 aimed at protecting wildlife corridors and habitats identified in the city’s Wildlife Connections Plan 2018-2028.
The proposal raised alarms among residents and councillors, with concerns it could impose tighter vegetation clearing controls on hundreds of private landowners.
The overlay would apply only to lots more than 1000 square metres in size.
Division 7 Councillor Rowanne McKenzie said homeowners were not adequately informed when the Wildlife Connections Plan was adopted in 2018 that it could later be used to impose statutory protections on private land.
“Many residents already have local and state environmental overlays,” Cr McKenzie said.
“They saw this as too much government green tape.
“Council should be educating and partnering with our residents to enhance wildlife corridors, not burdening them with yet another overlay.”
Division 9 Councillor Jason Colley said the proposed overlay could have restricted residents’ ability to responsibly manage their land, particularly in bushfire-prone areas.
“I genuinely fear residents would be unable to clear vegetation that may present a hazard in the case of a natural disaster,” Cr Colley said.
Council officers previously argued the overlay would bring the City Plan into closer alignment with State Planning Policy 2017 and ShapingSEQ 2023, which stress ecological connectivity.
However, an earlier motion to halt the overlay was defeated, prompting further investigation before any changes are drafted.
Council has confirmed that routine property management activities remain unaffected.
Trimming vegetation –whether along fence lines or near buildings – is not regulated under the City Plan and does not require a permit.
Residents can also continue managing their properties to reduce fire risk, with necessary fire breaks and fire management lines protected under the Planning Regulation 2017.
Residents are not required to seek approval for yard work, including maintaining gardens or orchards, provided it does not involve clearing predominant canopy trees within remnant vegetation.
Council also clarified that any investigations related to environmental overlays would not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, with previous citywide review budgets typically ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 depending on scope.
The move reflects Council’s ongoing efforts to balance environmental protection with practical property management, ensuring residents can maintain their homes and gardens safely and responsibly.
Council has information available on its website about trees on private land (including a fact sheet for vegetation removal requirements).
