Perth Voice Interactive

BRANKA RADANOVICH’S dream of a leafy Bayswater town centre may finally be realised after 35 years of campaigning to the local council.

The council will next month consider planting street trees along King William Street and Whatley Crescent.

Mrs Radanovich says it’s long past time. Frustrated with what she calls false promises by the council and poor greening policies, the local woman was on the brink of moving to a leafier area.

“It’s like pushing something heavy up a steep hill,” says Mrs Radanovich, a member of the Bayswater Urban Tree Network group.

The council had promised 20 years ago — as part of a 1996 “Bayswater townsite improvement plan” — to plant “shade trees” and install street furniture.

Mrs Radanovich, who has lived in the area for 36 years, says all the council has to show for its grand promise is a bench outside the nearby IGA.

She says two trees planted at the corner of the main drag and Murray Street were pulled out, and lavender planted in 1996 along a median strip died two years later and was replaced with brick paving.

The council failed to respond to Voice questions before the paper’s deadline, but noted “we don’t have a member of staff who was around 20 years ago”.

In an email last April to Mrs Radanovich, then-acting chief executive Des Abel wrote: “With respect to your comments in relation to tree planting, I advise that aerial photographs indicate that there has been tree planting in the area over the last 20 years.”

She doesn’t understand what he’s talking about: ”there’s not a tree down here to provide shade for shoppers,” she says.

Greener plan

Next month, councillor Stephanie Coates will ask the council to spend $100,000 improving the town’s streetscape.

Under her plan the city will plant trees on King William Street, between Guildford Road and the rail line, as well as on Whatley Crescent up from the main street to Hamilton Street.

“Many people had mentioned it and requested it,” Cr Coates says.

“I believe all of our town centres and shopping precincts could do with enhanced urban greening and landscape renewals.”

She’ll also ask for the council to develop water-smart landscape plans over the next two years, with a “focus on enhancing the tree canopy” in all the city’s town centres and shopping precincts.

If all goes to plan, community consultation on a landscaping plan will start in April or May, and a report tabled in a June meeting.

Cr Coates says the greening plan should be a priority this year.

by EMMIE DOWLING