Tree removal in Bankstown: what's local
A height test, with exceptions both ways
The Tree Management Order is Chapter 2.3 of the Canterbury-Bankstown DCP 2023. Its main trigger is height: over 5m, unless the species is on the exempt list. Some trees are covered at any size, such as threatened species and trees on heritage sites or Biodiversity Map land. Digging inside a protected tree's root zone needs a permit as well.
Not much shade to spare
NSW Planning put Canterbury-Bankstown's canopy at 15.4% in 2024-25, and just 10% over private properties. About 21% of its neighbourhoods rate as highly heat vulnerable. Council's adopted Urban Forest Strategic Plan sets a 25% canopy target.
Figs with heritage status
The fig trees along Olympic Parade and Dale Parade are a listed heritage item, and Paul Keating Park keeps a patch of green in the middle of the CBD. The city centre is set to keep growing: the draft of its 2021 master plan allowed for 12,500 more homes, which means more building near big trees.
Ausgrid on the poles
Ausgrid runs the power network throughout Canterbury-Bankstown and prunes around its own lines, separately from council. A tree on a street line is for Ausgrid, not an arborist.
Questions to ask an arborist in Bankstown
- Each tree labelled T1, T2 and so on, and marked on site with tape, a paint spot or a numbered tag
- An AQF Level 5 arborist's report if the problem is above 2 metres up or below ground, because council's officers assess from the ground
- An arborist with AQF Level 3 to carry out the approved work
- Room for three replacement trees, not fruit trees or exempt species, planted within 28 days of the removal
- A copy of the permit on site while the work happens; it's valid for 12 months
Signs a tree needs an arborist in Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown's DCP was written before NSW's 2026 changes, and its wording on dead trees depends on council being satisfied. Under the state changes, dead and dying protected trees now need approval, so get council's answer in writing before anything comes down.
A tree with native birds nesting in it, or animals living in hollows, may need extra approvals under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, because a council permit can't override it.
Leaves, flowers, fruit and small deadwood falling are, in council's words, part of a tree's normal life cycle. They won't ordinarily justify a removal, so if mess is the real complaint, a prune is the realistic fix.
Hiring an arborist in Bankstown
We'd look up and estimate the height first. Over 5 metres, we'd lodge the online application before collecting final quotes, and we'd only book an arborist who can show an AQF Level 3 qualification, because council says approved work needs one. We'd also pick the three replacement spots before lodging, so the 28 days isn't a scramble.