Trees to be preserved in Glenfield Rd upgrade
February 2, 2005

North Shore City Council is undertaking a careful operation to preserve pohutakawa trees during its upgrade of Glenfield Rd.

On the section of road currently being upgraded, between Camrose Pl and Bentley Ave, 27 trees will be moved for preservation. Of these, 18 will be replanted immediately, and nine will be cared for temporarily at a nursery and returned to the street when the upgrade is complete in about 18 months.

"It would not be possible to complete the upgrade while leaving all the trees in place; we need to move them to protect them," North Shore City's corridor project team manager, Graham Nell, says.

"All the trees along Glenfield Rd have been carefully assessed by a professional arborist, along with our own council arborist, to ascertain their aesthetic value," he says.

"Many were assessed as in poor condition and not worth preserving, and they have already been removed. The trees to be preserved will be moved using specialist equipment under the supervision of arborists. Some will be transplanted straight away, while those more than 5m high will be looked after until we can replant them.

"There is one stand of trees identified as having heritage value, near the intersection of Mayfield Rd and Glenfield Rd. We will take care not to disturb these trees during the upgrade."

The Glenfield Rd upgrade began after extensive consultation with the general public, local residents and businesses.

The upgrade will cater for present and future transport demand by improving the traffic flow and safety of the road. The project will include new traffic lights at the Sunset Rd intersection, road widening to allow for two lanes in each direction, and the addition of cycle lanes and bus priority measures. The look of the road will also be improved by a new planted median between Chivalry Rd and Camelot Pl.

"Obviously, as the road layout will change, we cannot replant the trees exactly in their previous spots, so they will be planted strategically alongside new plantings, taking into account the location of underground services," Graham Nell says.

"Pohutakawa trees are part of the unique character of North Shore City. The end result of this upgrade will be a better, safer road, complete with mature trees and new plantings." (ends)

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