Residents of Constantia’s Barbarossa neighbourhood are closely watching 22 Van Breda Street, saying they fear the owner, who has a history of illegal felling in the area, wants to clear trees that must be retained according to an approved building plan.

About 30 residents gathered, with City Law Enforcement, on the corner of Van Breda Street and Brink Road, on Friday February 7, determined to stop any further felling of mature trees on the property.

A site inspection by City environmental management department officials followed at 9am.

A resident who did not want to be named said the neighbourhood had been “on tenterhooks” after a felling team had cut down two mature trees at the property on Monday February 3.

“The community was thus justifiably concerned when a tree-felling contractor told a resident on Thursday afternoon that a third large, approximately 8-metre-tall London plane tree was to be felled the next morning” the woman said.

“That resident went to the building regulations department in Plumstead and had sight of the plans, ascertaining that the tree that was potentially being felled was actually demarcated on the plans to remain. She posted on the community group, which rallied, as did the community’s legal representative who contacted Law Enforcement.”

Mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment Eddie Andrews said a building plan for three dwellings at 22 Van Breda Street had been approved in November last year.

According to Mr Andrews, a recreation and parks department official had reviewed the plan and supported the translocation of one street-verge tree due to its conflict with the proposed new boundary wall, while an environmental management department official, after consulting the appointed architect, had determined that the “two most significant trees”, a plane tree and a ficus tree, although not listed as protected species, would be retained.

In 2022, 77 families in Barbarossa successfully objected to an application by Jerome Cedras, of Tendcon Developers and the CCC Family Trust, for subdivision of 22 Van Breda Street into two portions and departure from the minimum erf size in the area.

The Municipal Planning Tribunal rejected the application on the grounds that the proposed portion size was much smaller than other plots in the area and approval of a subdivision would effectively double the permissible three dwelling units per standard property to six.

Mr Cedras appealed, but the mayor upheld the tribunal’s decision.

Meanwhile, in October last year, the City fined Mr Cedras for damages caused by the illegal felling of trees on the Klassenbosch greenbelt.

Mr Cedras said the clearing on his property had been lawful, and he blamed his contractor for the “very unfortunate incident” in which pine trees had been felled and pruned on the municipal greenbelt land next to his property.

Then mayoral committee member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross confirmed the City had earlier turned down Mr Cedras’s request to remove the large pine trees on the City land to improve his view as the trees had been deemed healthy and posed no risk to the property (“Greenbelt cleared five months after illegal felling,” Bulletin September 12).

Mr Cedras has declined to comment on whether his intention was to fell the trees planned for retention at 22 Van Breda Street, but residents say they will be keeping a watchful eye.

“We are not trying to impede on anything that Mr Cedras is legally allowed, as a rightful property owner, to do. He can build what he wants to as per approved building plans. We won’t overstep or be obstructive about it, but we do want to retain as much as possible of the cultural environment, the look, feel and the character of the area; and to ensure the protection of trees identified to be retained. The London plane and ficus are on the plans which stipulate that they must be reserved. We would like Mr Cedras to know that we are going to be vigilant about it,” said a community organiser who did not want to be named.

Law enforcement and City officials came to assist resients worried about the felling of trees at 22 Van Breda in Barbarossa. Picture: Supplied