The WA government has confirmed it will reject a plan to protect mature trees put forward by two Perth councils, partly due to pressures it would place on housing developments.
The Nedlands and South Perth councils voted last year to approve rules that would require landowners to apply to clear trees over eight metres on private property.
It was hoped the scheme would protect the dwindling tree canopy in Perth, Australia's least leafy capital city.
Planning Minister John Carey, who must approve the change, has confirmed he will reject the proposal, saying it does not have the level of public backing previously purported by the Nedlands council.
"There wasn't the community support that the city of Nedlands claimed," he told ABC Radio Perth.
"There's 22,000 residents in Nedlands. There were 790 submissions, more than half were not from the City of Nedlands."
Mr Carey said another reason he would reject the proposal was because of its "punitive" approach, which he said would have affected a property's owner's ability to prune a tree.
"Your neighbour's overhanging tree, you would need to put in a development application if it met the criteria of that tree," he said.
The planning minister admitted housing developments also played a part in his decision.
"I do believe that we can balance both, but ultimately I can't sacrifice the delivery of housing," Mr Carey said.
"Our primary focus is to boost housing supply in Western Australia, particularly for the most vulnerable."
But Mr Carey denied he had succumbed to any pressure from property developers.
"The Nedlands proposal wasn't affecting big developers, it was actually affecting mums and dads and other households in those low dense areas."
In Nedlands, the rules would have only applied to residential lots zoned R20 or below, which would affect properties with an average size of 450 square metres or larger.
Broader strategy planned
When the two inner-suburban councils voted to implement the changes, advocates hailed the move as the beginning of wider protections.
Perth has the least tree canopy coverage of any Australian capital city at less than 20 per cent.
Both the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) and the WA Planning Commission, among others, have previously raised concerns about how diminishing leafy canopies, replaced by pavement and housing, could make hot days unbearable.
The state government says while it has rejected the council proposals, it would work with the Planning Commission, WALGA and other stakeholders to develop a broader strategy.
Mr Carey said he would look at implementing a canopy coverage target in line with other capital cities around Australia.
"If we're going to have, for the first time, a tree canopy strategy for Perth and Peel, it will include a target," he said.
Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle said the government’s approach, focused on verge trees and incentives to keep mature trees, would not be enough to fix Perth’s canopy.
WA Tree Canopy Advocates have previously raised concerns about the rate of canopy loss attributed to trees being cut down on private property.
WALGA president Karen Chappel said she welcomed the government's intention to develop a broader strategy, but said the minister would ultimately need to address what he had rejected.
"At the end of the day it's essential that this strategy which is going to be developed … will have to address the loss on private property," she said.
Community members are urged to provide their input online to a future urban greening strategy.
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