Tree lopping in Nedlands: good to know
Land zoned Residential with a density code of R20 or below. You can look up your code on the City's Intramaps. The policy was adopted on 23 July 2024.
Denser lots aren't covered yet. Draft LPP 3.4 would take the same approach to land coded R25 to R80; it was advertised from 31 January to 21 February 2025, and the City's page still shows it as a draft.
Part of the suburb falls in the City of Perth, so check which council your rates go to before you rely on any of this.
Regulated tree or not?
| One trunk | Several trunks | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 8m or more | 8m or more |
| Canopy | Average diameter of 6m or more | Average diameter of 6m or more |
| Trunk, at 1.4m above ground | 1.5m or more around | 1.5m or more in total, averaging 625 millimetres or more |
| Left out | Species on a State or local weed register, or in the policy's Appendix 1 | The same exclusions |
Tree removal permits in Nedlands
LPP 3.3 puts topping and lopping on the same list as removal, killing, ringbarking and severing branches, so for a regulated tree each one needs a development application. The pruning standard, AS 4373-2007, also lists lopping and topping as unacceptable, because the stubs sprout weak regrowth.
The policy carves out general maintenance pruning, and keeps it narrow: dead or diseased wood only, fruit trees pruned for fruit, or minor thinning or balancing that doesn't hurt the tree's health or look. For anything heavier, ask the City first. Doing it without approval is an offence under the Planning and Development Act 2005, with a penalty of up to $200,000.
Tree lopping in Nedlands: what's local
Hollywood Reserve
East of Karrakatta Cemetery, between Karella Street and Smyth Road, sit 6.5 hectares of jarrah, tuart and sheoak open forest, cared for with the Friends of Hollywood Reserve.
Power going underground
Underground power works began in Nedlands North in August 2024 and Nedlands West in March 2025; the City expected the West stage to finish in April 2026. Overhead transmission lines stay up, but most streets carry only distribution lines, and those are going under.
Cooler and wetter
Nedlands sits higher than the CBD, so it's slightly cooler and wetter, averaging 836.5 mm of rain a year.
Public trees on a register
The City keeps a Register of Significant Public Trees for land it owns or manages, and National Trust-listed trees on public land go on it automatically.
Before any digging or stump grinding in Nedlands
With distribution lines going underground across Nedlands, don't dig, grind a stump or plant near the street without lodging a Before You Dig Australia enquiry first, and remember its plans won't show private cables inside your boundary. If a tree hits an overhead line, keep 8 metres away and call Western Power.
Hiring an arborist in Nedlands
We'd look up the density code, then measure the tree against the three tests. If it's regulated, we'd skip lopping altogether and ask an arborist for a pruning plan that fits the maintenance definition, or a proper report for a development application if removal is really needed. The City weighs things like the tree's health, its streetscape value and safety risk, so a good report matters.