Tamworth’s Peel Street now has an impressive tree canopy which provides a cool and pleasant environment for users. The relative narrowness of Peel Street helps, but the thin median strip does little but separate the traffic. It is inappropriate and dangerous as a pedestrian refuge. The Cut-Leaf Plane trees have proven both attractive and successful. I’m told that this variety was also selected for Inverell’s 1990s upgrade, but changed at the 11th hour due to vigorous lobbying by a vocal (now) former councillor.

Mr Dempsey suggests we retain our existing London Plane trees, unless there is a problem with the root system. Unfortunately, there is a substantial problem - girdled roots - which greatly reduce the trees’ resistance to wind load and other stresses, and can result in sudden, premature death of the tree. Sadly, the girdled roots are a direct result of restricting root growth  inside 3m diameter concrete pipes, believed at the time to be an effective method of containing lateral spread and roadway disturbance.  The very real risk of losing these trees over the coming years is best avoided by addressing the problem now.

Fortunately, the past 20 years has seen great improvements in tree propagation and advanced “growing out” as well as planting methods and post planting maintenance.  This information has been supplied to members of the Renewal Plan Sunset Committee (of which I am a member), and appears in part in the Renewal Plan document.

In closing, I’d like to highlight several important aspects when assessing our current and proposed streetscape against Tamworth and other centres.

1. The much discussed median strip for Inverell is FLUSH with the road surface. It is visual rather than physical  separation of the traffic stream ,which can also be driven over (if the need arises) and  permits aged, infirm and child accompanied pedestrians the ability to cross the road safely without having to always use a mid-block zebra crossing. And importantly, it allows the soil beneath the roadway to “breathe” while permitting some water infiltration rather than channelling all rainfall straight into the stormwater network.

2. Unlike Tamworth, Armidale, Moree, Glen Innes, Tenterfield.... ad nauseum, our main streets are not aligned North-South or East-West but at 45degrees, meaning the effectiveness of large, centrally planted street trees will provide a welcome, broad sweep of shade through the course of the day, enhancing the shade provided by the replacement kerbside plantings.

Ultimately, I can’t escape a nagging suspicion that, along with the well-meaning opposition to key aspects of the CBD upgrade, a significant element of selfishness drives the desire to retain our maturing streetscape - to be enjoyed now by the 40-years plus cohort, but at the expense of coming generations. They will instead be burdened with a bitumen CBD drag strip and piecemeal replacement of dead/ailing/hazardous Plane trees.

Garry Newley

Inverell