2017 2 City of Rockingham | Greening Plan 2017 Contents 1. Introduction 5 1.1 Vision 5 1.2 Purpose 5 1.3 Green Goals 6 1.4 Greening Principles 6 1.5 Strategic context 8 1.6 Relevant documentation 8 2. What is green space? 11 2.1 What are the benefits of greening? 12 2.2 Predicted climate trends 15 3. What is the City’s green cover? 17 3.1 Historical roots 17 3.2 Comparison to previous plan 18 3.3 The City’s existing green cover 20 3.4 Street and parkland trees 22 Created by: Planning and Development Services Contents 3 4. What are the issues surrounding 25 7. How do we get there? 46 9. Implementation 113 urban green cover? 7.1 Green Goal One 46 9.1 Implementation costs 123 4.1 Natural decline 25 7.2 Green Goal Two 50 9.2 Responsibilities 123 4.2 Removal 25 7.3 Green Goal Three 50 4.3 Fire 25 7.4 Green Goal Four 51 10. Measuring our success 125 4.4 Vulnerability 25 7.5 Green Goal Five 51 4.5 Infrastructure restrictions 26 11. References 126 4.6 Vandalism 26 8. Suburb Snapshots 53 4.7 Development 26 8.1 Baldivis 54 Appendix A: Recommend public tree 130 8.2 Cooloongup 62 species list 5. What does the City stand to lose? 29 8.3 East Rockingham 66 8.4 Golden Bay 70 Appendix B: Photo library of 137 recommended species 6. What are the opportunities to improve 31 8.5 Hillman 74 green cover in the public realm? 8.6 Karnup 78 6.1 Urban Heat Island impacts 37 8.7 Port Kennedy 80 6.2 Tree spacing 37 8.8 Rockingham 84 6.3 Species selection 38 8.9 Safety Bay 88 6.4 Native vs non-native 40 8.10 Secret Harbour 92 6.5 Habitat corridors 41 8.11 Shoalwater 96 6.6 Resilience 42 8.12 Singleton 100 6.7 Character 43 8.13 Waikiki 104 6.8 Size matters 44 8.14 Warnbro 108 6.9 Health and longevity 45 4 City of Rockingham | Greening Plan 2017 Introduction 5 1 Introduction The City of Rockingham encompasses an approximate area of 260 km2 The Plan also acknowledges the challenges and currently has a population of over 140,000, which is expected to associated with establishing and managing a resilient, healthy and diverse grow beyond 175,000 in the next ten years. Given the context of a urban forest, together with the need to rapidly urbanising Strategic Metropolitan Center, the City aspires to ensure the benefits of urban greening develop strong communities, recognizing that green space is a key are complimentary to community safety element contributing to our City’s liveability, amenity and character. objectives and the provision of services. The Plan considers the current extent of The City’s green space includes all trees, The Greening Plan (the Plan) is a systematic all green cover across the City, while also shrubs, grass and other vegetation on and long term approach to management identifying potential losses, key threats, public and private land. Collectively, of green space, with a particular focus on challenges and opportunities, to establish these various forms of green space trees in streetscapes and public open space ambitious yet pragmatic Green Goals for play their part to positively influence (POS). These trees are an invaluable part the City’s urban forest over the next five community well-being, local economy of the City’s green capital and the Plan years and beyond. and biodiversity. provides a framework to protect, enhance and effectively manage these assets. 1.1 Vision 1.2 Purpose This Plan endeavours to deliver the following aspiration contained in the City’s Strategic To provide a framework for the Community Plan 2015-2025: establishment of a resilient, diverse and expanding urban forest through greening Planning for population growth and guiding development and land use to ensure that in public open space and streetscapes. future generations enjoy a sustainable city and genuinely desirable lifestyle. Aspiration D: Sustainable Environment Strategic objective:Land Use and Development Control 6 City of Rockingham | Greening Plan 2017 1.3 Green Goals 1.4 Greening Principles The delivery of the Greening Plan is driven by the following Green Goals: Greening Principle 1 Greening Principle 5 All built-up urban environments within Native trees are preferred where the City must be accompanied with street appropriate for the site conditions and parkland trees to reduce potential and particularly in locations directly urban heat island effects, prioritising Improve the trajectory of abutting conservation reserves or in areas such as car parks, shopping areas of POS outside urban centres, the City’s green cover Greening Principle 6 precincts and industrial areas. to establish corridors of native habitat No individual tree species across the City. should be over represented across the municipal area, to ensure a diverse Encourage community urban forest. involvement in urban greening Protect and maintain the City’s green assets Greening Principle 4 Non-native trees are preferred in circumstances where they are considered more likely to Greening Principle 7 Plant the right tree thrive and deliver benefits in urban Wherever possible, tree in the right place centres, or where they provide planting in individual streets known feeding habitat must be uniform, with for Black Cockatoos. either a single species or a consistent pattern, to Ensure a diverse establish and enhance urban forest streetscape character and sense of place. Greening Principle 8 Greening Principle 9 Actions required to achieve these Green Plant the biggest tree Public trees are a City asset Goals are identified in Section 6 of this Plan a site can accommodate, and should only be removed and must be undertaken with consideration appropriate to existing as a last resort. Every public for the following Greening Principles. character and surrounding tree removed must be infrastructure. replaced with an advanced Greening Principle 2 Greening Principle 3 tree of the same species in Spacing must be sufficient to Species selection must consider separation the same location within support mature tree size, with requirements, verge widths and surrounding 12 months, appropriate continuous and connected infrastructure restrictions, while acknowledging to site conditions. canopy cover in streetscapes that the provision of public trees is paramount, wherever possible. irrespective of the challenges. Introduction 7 1.4 Greening Principles Greening Principle 1 Greening Principle 5 All built-up urban environments within Native trees are preferred where the City must be accompanied with street appropriate for the site conditions and parkland trees to reduce potential and particularly in locations directly urban heat island effects, prioritising abutting conservation reserves or in areas such as car parks, shopping areas of POS outside urban centres, Greening Principle 6 precincts and industrial areas. to establish corridors of native habitat No individual tree species across the City. should be over represented across the municipal area, to ensure a diverse urban forest. Greening Principle 4 Non-native trees are preferred in circumstances where they are considered more likely to Greening Principle 7 thrive and deliver benefits in urban Wherever possible, tree centres, or where they provide planting in individual streets known feeding habitat must be uniform, with for Black Cockatoos. either a single species or a consistent pattern, to establish and enhance streetscape character and sense of place. Greening Principle 8 Greening Principle 9 Plant the biggest tree Public trees are a City asset a site can accommodate, and should only be removed appropriate to existing as a last resort. Every public character and surrounding tree removed must be infrastructure. replaced with an advanced Greening Principle 2 Greening Principle 3 tree of the same species in Spacing must be sufficient to Species selection must consider separation the same location within support mature tree size, with requirements, verge widths and surrounding 12 months, appropriate continuous and connected infrastructure restrictions, while acknowledging to site conditions. canopy cover in streetscapes that the provision of public trees is paramount, wherever possible. irrespective of the challenges. 8 City of Rockingham | Greening Plan 2017 1.5 Strategic context 1.6 Relevant documentation Effective management of the City’s green space is reliant on the successful integration of a suite of documents that bear relevance to tree planting within road reserves and POS. Strategic Community Plan The following documents were given particular consideration during the development of 2015-2025 this Plan and should be referred to during implementation as required: • Bushfire Risk Mitigation Strategy, City • Liveable Neighbourhoods, Department of Rockingham (2017) (draft) of Planning (2009) • Environmental Management Strategy, • Draft Liveable Neighbourhoods, City of Rockingham (2017) (draft) Department of Planning (2015) Environmental Environmental Planning • Public Open Space Strategy, City of • Utility Providers Code of Practice, Management Strategy Strategy (to be developed) Rockingham (2017) (draft) Main Roads WA (2015) • Reserve Prioritisation Report, City of • Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Rockingham (2015) Management Plan, Department of Parks and Wildlife (2010) • Design WA, Department of Planning (2016) (draft) • Vegetation Placement within the Road Tree Protection Policy Reserve, Main Roads WA 2013 Greening Plan • State Planning Policy 3.7: Planning in Trees on public land (to be developed) Trees on private land Bush Fire Prone Areas, Department of • Revegetation Planning and Planning (2015) Techniques, Main Roads WA 2013 • Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire • City of Rockingham Verge Treatment Prone Areas, Department of Policy (draft) Planning (2017) Introduction 9 10 City of Rockingham | Greening Plan 2017 What is Green space? 11 2 What is Green space? Green space refers to all trees and vegetation that grows within the City on both public and private land. This includes street trees, parks and gardens, nature reserves, shrubs, green walls, green roofs and turf planted, which together provide a range of benefits that enrich the quality of life and make for a healthier, more prosperous community.