City of Melbourne's Exceptional Tree Register was adopted by Council in 2012. It offers the opportunity to recognise, celebrate and protect exceptional trees on land throughout our city. This includes any land that is under the control of the Melbourne Planning Scheme, with the exception of land that is owned or managed by the City of Melbourne or located in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Round two nominations
We began reviewing and expanding the Exceptional Tree Register in 2019. Nominations for exceptional trees as part of round two of the register were accepted from 1 December 2018 to 15 March 2019. All eligible trees were then assessed by a qualified consultant arborist, with this information then peer reviewed prior to being presented to an expert assessment panel to ensure accuracy, robustness and transparency. Trees included on the register must have fulfilled at least one of the Exceptional Tree Register’s ‘exceptional’ criteria, and be recommended to for inclusion by the panel.
On 21 July 2020, the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee considered a report on the round two nominated exceptional trees and resolved to endorse the Exceptional Tree Register 2019 and protect 119 additional exceptional trees under the Melbourne Planning Scheme by applying Environmental Significance Overlays.
Proposed planning provisions
On 29 April 2021, the Minister for Planning approved interim protection for additional exceptional trees identified (resulting from successful round two nominations) until 27 April 2023, via Planning Scheme Amendment C378. This allows Council time to seek approval for permanent protection controls via a full planning scheme amendment process.
The approval of interim controls means that each exceptional tree is protected under the planning scheme and has its own tree protection zone which is a calculated area above, around and below the tree. You will need a planning permit for any building or works within the protection zone of the exceptional tree, or significant pruning, lopping or removal of the tree. The application of the new controls does not mean that new building works cannot take place, but that the health of the tree will need careful consideration before approval for any works can be given.
The Minister for Planning authorised Council’s request to prepare and exhibit the permanent controls proposed by Planning Scheme Amendment C379. Amendment C379 proposes to protect the additional 119 exceptional trees by adding the trees to the updated Exceptional Tree Register 2019 and applying planning tree protection controls to these trees through the planning scheme. The amendment also proposes to individually list 22 trees which are currently listed under tree groups and delete seven trees which have been removed due to poor physical health.
To find out more about the trees proposed for protection, or changes to the protection zone of an existing tree, please visit Participate Melbourne.
Planning Scheme Amendment 379 was open for community and stakeholder comment from 31 March to 2 May 2022. On 2 August 2022, the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee considered submissions and resolved to request the Minister for Planning appoint a Panel to consider the submissions and make recommendations on the amendment.
Read more in the
Future Melbourne Committee meeting report (PDF 14.9 MB).
A directions hearing was held via video conference on Monday 17 October with the Panel determining that the hearing scheduled for 22 November 2022 was not required. The panel has delivered its report recommending adoption of the Amendment.
View a copy of the Panel Report (PDF 1.38 MB)
The Future Melbourne Committee considered the panel report at its meeting on 7 February 2023 and resolved to recommend Council adopt the Amendment as exhibited `but with two changes to Schedule 2 to the Environmental Significance Overlay and the City of Melbourne Exceptional Tree Register 2019.
Read more in the Future Melbourne Committee Report (PDF 12.8 MB)
Council adopted Amendment C379 at its meeting on 28 February 2023 and submitted the Amendment as adopted to the Minister for Planning for approval.
Current status
Amendment C376 was approved by the Minister for Planning on 28 February, 2024. You can view the approved version of the Exceptional Tree Register 2019 below. The 119 new exceptional trees from round two nominations are listed as Tree Numbers 139 to 176 in the register.