A Tighes Hill resident says she is frustrated and worn out trying to get Newcastle council to remove a street tree which she says is inhibiting her disabled daughter from accessing their home.
Tatiana Piwinski has had trouble with the tree for more than a decade, but the problem reached a crisis point when her daughter Linda Siemek became disabled after a stroke several years ago.
The council has attended over the years to trim branches, trench the front of the property, cut roots and install a barrier, but the tree doesn't meet the criteria for removal. Ms Piwinski said the problem continued to worsen.
City of Newcastle has also blamed the property's driveway, which is unapproved, as the cause of accessibility issues, which the family strongly disputes.
"The tree roots are the issue," Ms Piwinski said.
"I'm tired, frustrated, angry. I just think with council, if this was at their house, would they deal with it?"
The tree roots have cracked the gutter, caused large bumps on the road in front of the home and created an uneven surface for Ms Siemek to navigate with her walking stick.
"I hate it," Ms Siemek said. "It's horrific. I don't even want to go out sometimes.
"Even talking about it gives me anxiety."
Linda's care coordinator Melissa Hinchey also experiences great difficulty trying to assist Ms Siemek from the home in her wheelchair.
"There's no flat surface for Linda to transfer into the car from," Ms Hinchey said.
"It's a simple thing. Everyone should be able to access their own home safely.
"My job is to increase Linda's capacity to access the community safely, and this is inhibiting that.
"There are amazing paths around here I could take Linda on, but I can't even get her out of her front door."
The tree also drops debris onto the property, which coats the roof and ground. Ms Piwinski, 67, says she is forced to climb a ladder to remove the debris from her gutters, while the ground becomes a further trip hazard for herself and her daughter.
Independent councillors John Church has advocated to the council on Ms Piwinski's behalf. He said it was "yet another example of council putting trees ahead of public safety and property".
"I have been approached frequently about this issue from people who have been frustrated with their interaction with council staff," he said.
"If a tree is causing damage or threatening safety it should be heavily pruned or removed and replaced with multiple trees planted elsewhere in the city."
A spokesperson for City of Newcastle said council staff would visit the property again this week to inspect the street tree and provide advice on potential driveway improvements.
"City of Newcastle has responded to numerous requests from the resident since 2016," the spokesperson said.
"In that time, CN has cut back roots and installed a barrier to reduce existing and further root interaction with the property, including the front fence, as well as conducted pruning to remove the tree's low branches and maintain clearance from the building."
The council claimed the property's gravel driveway was "the primary cause of the accessibility issues, rather than the street tree" as it was not built to required standards and was not approved.
But Ms Piwinski and Ms Hinchey said that was incorrect.
"I have trouble even getting her to the driveway," Ms Hinchey said.
The spokesperson said staff most recently inspected the tree last month, which did not identify pruning was needed.
"Should this week's inspection identify necessary additional pruning or other work in relation to the tree roots, it will be prioritised for action," the spokesperson said.
