Situation
Boroondara Parks and Gardens had no process to engage either internal stakeholders or externally with the local community on the management of trees. Like most local councils its approach was to manage the program in isolation of other planning and design initiatives. Members of the community had also requested involvement.

Approach
Kate facilitated the development of a community-centred consultation strategy based around engaging internal and external stakeholders to create a holistic development pathway. A briefing from the Co-ordinator of Arboriculture and a workshop with internal Council members provided insights as to the main issues to be incorporated into the tree planning process. Kate conducted additional research into the approaches of other councils to identify best practice actions for incorporation into the consultation strategy.

Outcome
A comprehensive scoping document with nine clear and measurable steps became the template for the Council’s tree planning strategy. This functional guide also became a template for developing a ‘request for tender’ for full strategy development. With this Council had a key baseline reference document to address both operational and community concerns when progressing individual projects. The strategy template delivered to Council also outlined suggested timelines and resource requirements to facilitate detailed forward planning.