Central Coast gum tree wreaking havoc on homeowner after 14-year legal battle

A desperate homeowner has slammed his local council for refusing to remove a giant tree he describes as a ‘menace’.

Simon, who lives on Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast, has been fighting council for 14 years to get rid of the gum tree that towers over his property.

He says the tree has dropped five branches on his house causing considerable damage. 

Falling branches have also smashing into two of his cars, writing them both off.

Simon claims that he and his dog narrowly escaped being hit by deadly falling branches on another occasion.

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Simon claims that he and his dog narrowly escaped being hit by deadly falling branches on one occasion 

‘It’s a danger to me, my family, my property and the general public,’ he told A Current Affair on Thursday.

‘It should be taken down, the sooner the better.’

Simon’s claims have been backed by neighbour Annie.

‘This tree has been a problem for many, many years.’

She said it’s a risk ‘all day, every day’ walking under its branches, particularly the neighbourhood’s children. 

The tree sits on land belonging to Central Coast Council who have repeatedly refused to remove it.

The council said in a statement ‘qualified arborists have inspected the tree on several occasions’ and determined it ‘did not need to be removed’.

In March council workers pruned and cleared away deadwood after making a second inspection for the year having determined no action was needed in January.

They previously performed maintenance on the tree in 2018. 

‘Council has already invested in excess of $1.6M in public tree inspection, maintenance and removal this financial year,’ the council’s statement said.

It went on to say that council would spend ‘$2.5M by the end of the financial year in order to mitigate the risk of harm to our community’.

Simon has been fighting for five years to get rid of a giant tree he says is a danger to himself and his property

Simon says that the trees falling branches have twice written off his cars along with damaging his house

The council has previously suffered financial problems with the NSW state government stepping in to sack every councillor in March 2022 when the body’s budget blew out to debt of $89million. 

Simon says he is so anxious to get rid of the troublesome tree he has offered to pay for its removal, which would cost around $4,000, and plant some less risky native vegetation in its stead.

However, this offer was again refused. 

‘I think it’s one of those situations where council is waiting for something to happen before they do anything about it,’ he said.