Blue Mountains City Council is planning to remove over 60 mature trees along the approach trail to Mt Piddington (the Hourn Point Trail) in the next couple of weeks. Anyone who has climbed there recently will have noticed spray painted Xs and 0s on tree trunks all along the 800m track. An X means total tree removal, and an 0 means limb removal. Of particular note is the planned removal of all trees in the area at the end of the trail just before the rock platform lookout to create a turning circle for trucks.
“the marking of trees and other vegetation on the Hourn Point trail is related to fire trail maintenance and enhancement work as part of Council’s bushfire management program. This will involve pruning or removal of marked trees, as well as the clearance of ground level vegetation within 2m of the trail margins.“
Email from Blue Mountains City Council – September 2021
We understand that there may be some need to prepare this section of road for upcoming fire seasons – but the scale of works proposed seems out of step with the important environmental and recreational values of the area – it is a much loved walk for locals and visitors alike.
Write to the Blue Mountains Council and request a stop work order!
They plan to start this work in the next couple of weeks – your help is needed today! We people to write to the BMCC and ask for this work to be restrained to a level that does not do major harm to the environmental and recreational values of the area. Do all these trees really have to be removed? Does there really need to be a major turning spot for trucks at the lookout?
Send complaint letters to:
Peter Belshaw – PBelshaw@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Matt Chambers, Natural Areas Manager – MChambers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Rosemary Dillon, CEO – RDillion@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Share this page with friends and ask them to send a letter. Join the Hornes Point Action Group on Facebook for the latest news.
Australian Climbing Association (NSW) 