The Dunedin City Council has applied for resource consent to remove 3ha of exotic trees following seven years of lobbying.
The decision to go ahead with the plan, subject to the consent process, has left Glenross St resident Paul Bennett "ecstatic".
"If we can get them down - great."
Dr Bennett said he first began lobbying for the removal of the trees in 2002, when he approached council staff.
Storms that year had resulted in "huge branches crashing all over the place", and the rapid growth of the trees meant no sun reached houses during winter.
Cr Fliss Butcher said she that had been lobbied by residents, "miserable" because of the lack of sunshine.
It had been on the agenda to cut down the trees for some time, but council company City Forests had been waiting for the right time to make the work economic.
Council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said people's patience had run out, and the decision was made to go ahead anyway.
It was hoped there would be enough profit for the council to replant the area in native trees.
The application for consent said the trees were 80 to 90 years old, and up to 50m high.
There was a relatively large volume of good quality timber, but harvesting in a constrained urban environment meant limited profitability.
Restoring the area with native bush was a benefit from the proposal.
Submissions close on January 22.
