The 30m redwood in East Taieri had been earmarked for protection by the Dunedin City Council.
A hearings committee was yesterday afternoon expecting to hear from property owner Michael Thornton-Pay, who submitted against it being added to a list of protected trees.
But Mr Thornton-Pay failed to show up after sending contractors in to fell the tree earlier in the day before the hearings panel could make a decision about its status.
The felling of the tree came despite Mr Thornton-Pay and his partner telling the council in evidence submitted earlier this month they did not plan to remove it "at this time".
The move upset Mosgiel man Tony Gow, who had been going through the process to add the tree to the council’s schedule.
He had previously owned the property the tree sits on.
"It's just a beautiful old redwood. It's just a shame to lose such a beautiful tree in our area."
Mr Gow said he only discovered the neighbour’s intention to remove the tree when he found a note in his letterbox yesterday morning.
"It’s quite upsetting.
"It had been such a long process to get the tree recognised by the council."
He said he should have sought some sort of protection for the tree before he subdivided the property, but "it’s too late now, obviously".
"This redwood is a prominent tree within East Taieri. As a tall, solitary tree with excellent form it is a local landmark.
"It has an almost text-book form. There are very few emerging specimens of this species in the urban environment and this one has good vigour and vitality," the report said.
Mr Thornton-Pay disagreed and, in his written submission to the council, said the tree was growing too large for the section and would hinder development.
"Although [the tree] is a healthy and mature specimen, its contribution to visual amenity and the wider landscape is limited and largely confined to localised visibility.
"Its location is not ideal, positioned at a pinch point near the driveway and boundary, making it poorly integrated into the site and surrounding context."
The submission said the tree would restrict future development across multiple residential sites within a zone intended for intensification, making protection inconsistent with the strategic objectives of the district plan.
"As this tree inevitably grows larger and becomes a heightened risk, we do not want to be powerless in controlling its potentially devastating impact on our family home."
Efforts by the Otago Daily Times to reach Mr Thornton-Pay yesterday were unsuccessful.
A council spokesman confirmed the tree had been nominated for inclusion on the 2GP schedule as part of Plan Change 1 as a "scheduled" (protected) tree.
"A tree is not protected until it has been added to the 2GP’s schedule. If a tree is not on the 2GP schedule, and its removal does not contravene other 2GP rules, it can be removed without resource consent."
