Churchill Road Drainage Upgrade tree removals

The removal of 14 trees, including 8 significant and one regulated tree, is unfortunately a necessary and unavoidable part of the Stage 1 Churchill Road Drainage Upgrade.

Due to the complex nature of designing a high-capacity drain that must navigate existing infrastructure and provide effective flood mitigation for low-lying areas, extensive alternative design options were explored over several years. Ultimately, no viable alternative was found that could achieve the necessary flood protection without impacting these specific trees.

This is truly a last resort to safeguard our community's safety and resilience.

Yes, absolutely.

Over several years, extensive design and engineering work was undertaken, exploring numerous alternative alignments and pipe sizes. However, due to the critical need for a high-capacity drain to effectively mitigate the severe flooding in this low-lying area, and the highly complex challenge of installing new, large-diameter pipes underneath a live railway and a major road bridge, in addition to navigating existing underground services and dense urban development, no viable alternative was found that would achieve the necessary flood protection without impacting these specific trees.

We sought to minimise tree removal wherever possible, but this project is about protecting homes and infrastructure from future flood devastation.

A total of 14 trees are being removed: 12 river red gums, 1 golden wreath wattle, and 1 common olive. Of these, 8 are classified as 'significant' and 1 as 'regulated' under relevant legislation.

All of the trees are located on private land within City of Port Adelaide Enfield’s boundaries, in the immediate vicinity of the proposed drain alignment. Council has obtained all necessary Development Approvals and landowner consents for their removal.

Tree removals are being undertaken in phases, with Council's contractor aiming to complete as much as possible during the upcoming railway shutdown.

• Rail corridor and associated trees: Tree removals within the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) corridor and adjacent areas are specifically scheduled for a 72-hour railway shutdown from Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9, 2025. Our contractor will be working to remove as many of the necessary trees as possible during this crucial period.
• Remaining trees: Any remaining trees outside of the immediate rail corridor that are still required for removal will likely be taken down in late June or early July 2025. Directly impacted properties will receive specific notifications with dates for these subsequent works.

We’re absolutely committed to protecting local wildlife. For all tree removal works, a qualified fauna handler will be on site to conduct thorough fauna clearance and ensure the safe relocation of any animals found before any tree removal commences. This is a non-negotiable part of our process to minimise impact on local wildlife.

We’re committed to mitigating the environmental impact of these necessary removals through extensive replanting. We’ll plant at least 26 new trees along the drain alignment as part of the Islington Shared Path Upgrades. We're also offering further replanting opportunities to City of Port Adelaide Enfield and directly impacted landowners for additional trees on their properties.

Our "on country" initiative is an innovative and culturally respectful approach to repurpose the felled timber. Instead of being disposed of, the timber will be respectfully kept "on country" and transformed into items for community benefit. This includes creating sculptures, artworks (e.g., seating), habitat features, and landscaping elements within the Council-endorsed Islington Shared Path Upgrade.

This initiative is being developed in ongoing engagement with Kaurna Traditional Owners, ensuring it honours cultural heritage and provides a lasting legacy for the community.

We understand this is a significant concern for many in our community. Extensive efforts were made over several years to explore all possible alternative design options for the Churchill Road Drainage Upgrade that might avoid tree removal. This involved detailed engineering assessments to achieve the critical flood mitigation benefits while navigating significant constraints like the live railway, a major road bridge, existing services, and dense urban development.

Ultimately, after rigorously exploring and ruling out all viable alternatives, the project team determined that the removal of these specific trees was unavoidable to deliver the essential flood protection our community desperately needs. Because there was no feasible design alternative that could change the outcome regarding these particular trees, a broader public consultation on their removal wouldn’t have been genuine, as community feedback would not have been able to alter this unavoidable necessity.

Instead, our focus has been on transparently communicating why the removals are necessary and, most importantly, outlining our comprehensive mitigation strategies, including extensive replanting, dedicated fauna management, and our 'on Country' initiative in collaboration with the Kaurna community.

We’re committed to keeping the community informed about the project's progress and our efforts to minimise its environmental and cultural impact.