The scheme allows property owners in bushfire-prone areas to remove trees that would otherwise be protected.

“We acknowledge the merit of the 10/50 scheme for properties that are genuinely under threat, but we are concerned it is being abused to remove trees for other reasons,” Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock said.

“The scheme has been in operation for a few years now and this would be a good time to investigate whether its stated objectives are being met.

“Hornsby Shire Council has begun an ambitious project to plant 25,000 new trees and it would be very unfortunate to see all of that hard work wasted.”

The 10/50 review is one of a number of proposals that Council will be taking to the conference.

Others include:

• An increase in the grant funding available to councils under the NSW Government’s Waste levy Program;
• Improvement to Sewerage System licenses, reducing the amount of pollutants allowed to be discharged by sewerage treatment plants;
• A review of the Building Sustainability Index, with the goal of raising targets to encourage the construction of more efficient buildings.

The Annual Conference will take place at Albury in October.