A Newcastle Greens councillor has called for transparency about the future of a set of "iconic" fig trees on Hunter Street which council plans to remove.
Councillor John Mackenzie received a memo from City of Newcastle that said three of the four fig trees on the refuge island between Hunter and Scott streets are proposed to be removed due to their poor condition.
The memo said early assessment of the three western figs indicated the trees had a "significantly reduced life expectancy" due to restricted growing environments and excessive pruning due to the nearby Newcastle light rail.
The fourth larger tree was found to be in good condition and is proposed to be retained.
The trees were considered for removal during the light rail construction, but were ultimately left alone.
The site is poised to be revitalised in council's upgrade of Hunter Street Mall.
Cr Mackenzie said he wanted to ensure the trees went through a proper assessment and were not cut down to make way for new streetscape infrastructure unless they were found to be too unhealthy.
"We don't want to have a repeat of Laman Street," he said.
"Nobody is going to say we shouldn't replace dead or dying trees. But we shouldn't be cutting down healthy trees for the renewal.
"We need qualified, technical advice. This is information we need to be clear about.
"Trees are living assets, it's not like managing a footpath."
Cr Mackenzie asked at the last Newcastle council meeting for a public briefing regarding plans for the trees, which was supported unanimously.
Liberal councillor Callum Pull requested changing it to a closed workshop, saying "the last thing we need is a public stoush over fig trees".
But Cr Mackenzie said having an open and transparent process would improve community confidence in council, after the Laman Street tree situation 10 years ago, which lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said caused angst at the time as there was no public consultation.
"Some of the issues that gave rise to the community anxiety was the concern that they were not privy to the information on the basis the decision was made," Cr Mackenzie said.
Cr Mackenzie said if the trees were found to be unhealthy and needed to come down, there was "no question that they would need to be replaced in that location".
"Those trees in that location are important for historical purposes, such as cleaning the air and cooling the area," he said.
"They're iconic and highly valued by the community."
