THE final fig fell in Laman Street yesterday, as Newcastle City Council was spared a final ‘‘divisive’’ debate about the trees.
A small group of fig campaigners gathered to watch the final section of the green canopy removed about 11am, symbolically marking the end of an issue that has run for more than two years and cost the council more than $1.6million.
GALLERY: Laman Street without the figs, click on the image below.
At last night’s council meeting, about 35 protesters stood with their backs turned in the chamber.
Cr Aaron Buman yesterday withdrew a motion asking for a Department of Local Government investigation and aimed at surcharging colleagues for ‘‘deliberate delays’’ during the past year.
Legal advice had suggested all councillors had a conflict of interest.
A council memo said the initial motion was ‘‘likely to constitute a pecuniary interest for all councillors and council officers directly involved in the matter because it could result in a financial loss to that councillor or council officer’’.
Cr Buman said he also did not want to create further division on the council.
‘‘The process from the debate to its conclusion would be divisive and we’ve had enough of that to date,’’ he said.
‘‘The residue of [the Laman Street debate] will be sorted at the ballot box in September, because the voters rarely get it wrong for long.’’
Cr Buman said he had written to Newcastle MP Tim Owen asking that the Department of Local Government investigate the Laman Street matter.
The council said yesterday that Laman Street would reopen to traffic by the end of the month.
The council said the 14 tree stumps would remain in the ground until work began to rehabilitate the road.
In the meantime, work will focus on cleaning the street so it can be opened to traffic and the fences through Civic Park can be removed.
The city’s library and art gallery will both be open to the public today.
Council fight to protect Lone Pine
NEWCASTLE City Council says bracing around the Lone Pine in Civic Park is a ‘‘temporary measure’’ but a permanent structure will be needed to protect the tree.
It also said new pines were being grown as a contingency.
The council’s infrastructure services manager John Johnston said the removal of the Laman Street fig trees had taken away a wind break for the pine, which has a significant lean from the Memorial Grove in Civic Park towards Laman Street.
Mr Johnston said the council would create a permanent structure, in consultation with the RSL, to ‘‘protect the pine as long as we can’’.
‘‘There’s no reason for us to pull the pine tree out,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re doing everything we can to keep it.’’
Pines being grown in Sydney could replace the tree if it fell.
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