Narrogin residents angry over removal of trees along road and property edge during road maintenance works

A call from Wheatbelt residents for the shire to revegetate native flora and young saplings along their road and properties edge after “aggressive, horrific and unnecessary” removal during road works, has been denied. At Narrogin council’s first meeting of 2026 on February 25, two public gallery members, Courtney Wright and Alicen Johnson, shared their grievances regarding the removal of native trees, shrubbery and saplings on the Narrogin Valley Road in East Narrogin. Ms Johnson also referred to removals in the East Narrogin area, and asked the shire if it was necessary to remove the emerging saplings and plants located on the fence line and overhanging branches when completing the recent Narrogin Valley Road works. She labelled the removal “aggressive, horrific and unnecessary” and said the saplings near her driveway had all been removed, including on her property boundary. Executive manager of infrastructure services John Warburton said the removal was necessary to ensure the road operated safely and efficiently and that the drainage system needed to be fully clear of vegetation as disturbed water flow leads to water pooling, pavement damage, and reduced road lifespan. “Maintaining appropriate road widths and vertical clear zones is essential for the safe movement of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, freight movements and agricultural equipment,” he said. “Council regularly receives complaints from local farmers and transport operators regarding overhanging branches striking trucks and machinery. Removing overhanging vegetation reduces this hazard and improves safety for all road users.” Mr Warburton said working within a narrow 20m road reserve would always present challenges in balancing vegetation retention with roadworks, drainage performance, and asset protection, but safe clearances and functional drainage remained the priority. He said it was not usual practice for the shire to revegetate road reserves after maintenance or construction works, and there were no plans to replant the area. He said natural revegetation often occurred in these cases. Before Ms Johnson’s questioning, Ms Wright asked the council if the shire would fund revegetation at the site of the 2022 East Narrogin fire, including native shrubbery cleared by the shire. “I do not want my rates used to remove and destroy the vegetation in my shire,” she said. Shire chief executive Dale Stewart said the current budget did not include “revegetation in rural areas” but only provided street trees within the Narrogin and Highbury townsites. Mr Stewart said the request would be presented to the council for consideration as part of the 2026-27 budget deliberations. He said alternatively, they could apply for a shire grant to support landowners undertaking revegetation on private land.