Hazardous Pines to be Removed from Truby King Park

Wellington City Council will use a helicopter to remove seven large, hazardous pine trees from Truby King Park in Melrose next week - an operation that will be visible from Newtown and Kilbirnie.

The trees directly overhang several properties on Duncan Terrace and need to be removed for safety reasons. Residents in the immediate area have been notified and are keen to see them go.

The Council's Urban Forest Manager, Kevin Reardon, says the trees will be removed on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, from 9.00am until 4.30pm. If the operation is delayed by poor weather, work may extend into Thursday.

Mr Reardon says a helicopter is being used because it isn't possible to remove the trees from the site any other way. A section of the Southern Walkway leading up to Truby King Park will be closed while the work is done, and this will be clearly signposted.

"There will also be staff in the area to warn any walkers who may not have realised the work was happening," he says. "The work will be noisy at times but we do need to get it done. Only two weeks ago we had to remove a broken branch that was dangling precariously from one of these trees."