The 20m-high scheduled tree has grown "prodigiously" over the past three decades, an arborist’s report says.
GreenTrees Ltd consulting arborist Peter Waymouth said while the pin oak was a healthy specimen, its canopy spread in 1990 of 8m had grown to 20m this year.
"The attendant problems of tree size in a small garden have been compounded by a recently built house on an adjacent section", the report said.
"In addition, to remediate any immediate safety concerns from falling branches, there will be ongoing maintenance costs for the owners."
Mr Waymouth’s report noted the proximity of the tree to power lines and said regulations allowed lines company Aurora to pay for the first trim, but all subsequent trimmings would be at the owners’ expense.
He concluded the tree ought to be pruned and cabled so it could be maintained for another 20 years to 35 years (its life expectancy), or it should be removed as a scheduled tree from the Dunedin City Council’s district plan.
In their application to remove the tree, the owners, Phillipa and Darren Bain, said when they bought their King St property in 2016, an application was before the council to have the tree removed.
That application was declined.
They subsequently successfully applied for the tree to be pruned and paid $3168 for the service in 2020.
Since then it had grown significantly, their application said.
"The sheer size of this tree is too great for the environment it finds itself in", the application said.
"The tree has become so large that we now feel unsafe and insignificant living underneath it."
It had grown to block the sun from their front yard, their living area and their children’s bedrooms.
"It gives us all anxiety in higher winds", the application said.
"The tree twists and creaks, scaring our daughter and making her feel unsafe in her home."
The family could not afford to pay for the maintenance recommended by the arborist, the application said.
Submissions close next month.
