Tree removal in Wandin North

Red soil and rolling hills: SLO5 and SLO6

The two overlays split the farms between them. SLO5, the "red soil intensive agriculture" landscape, covered all 85 points in one farming zone, the patchwork of orchards, vineyards, vegetables and flower farms its schedule describes. SLO6, the "rolling hills and bushy agriculture" overlay, covered all 61 in the other.

They agree on almost everything except regrowth. SLO5 lets regrowth under 10 years old, on land lawfully cleared of native vegetation, go without a permit. SLO6 has no regrowth exemption, so wattles and gums coming up in an unused paddock need its permit. The state's own native vegetation clause applies under both, with its own exemption for regrowth under 10 years on lawfully cleared land.

Checked 23 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 6 to Clause 42.03 (SLO6) and Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 52.17 (native vegetation).

The erosion overlay on the red soil

The erosion overlays came up at 35 of the 85 red-soil points. They are stricter than SLO5. A permit is needed to remove any vegetation, except a tree 50 cm or less around the trunk, anything within 2 m of a building, dead vegetation where the ground surface is put back, and lopping a tree for its health or stability. Where both apply, the erosion overlay is the stricter test.

Checked 23 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 44.01 (EMO) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 44.01 (EMO3).

In the village

The village's residential streets are under SLO22 instead, at all 7 of its Neighbourhood Residential points and all of them in a Bushfire Prone Area. SLO22's own description calls it a village in an undulating rural landscape. Its permit covers indigenous vegetation of any size and any tree over 50 cm around, and it stops 2 m from a building. DDO5 covers the same streets and shapes new buildings, without a permit for trees.

Checked 23 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 22 to Clause 42.03 (SLO22), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 43.02 (DDO5) and Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 62.02 (buildings and works not requiring a permit).

Running water

The name first appears in the Parish of Wandin Yallock, surveyed in 1866 to 1868, and the two words are thought to mean running water. Wandin station was on the Warburton line from 1901 to 1965, and its platform still stands on the rail trail.

Two public places here have heritage tree controls: the Wandin memorial planting and war memorial on Beenak Road, and the old railway line, now the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.

Checked 23 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Wandin North, Victoria and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 43.01 (Heritage Overlay).

The rule next door

Seville

The same pairing of SLO5 and SLO6 on its farms, and SLO22 in town.

Lilydale

Mostly SLO6 green wedge by area; SLO22 and SLO23 in its streets.

Wandin East and Gruyere

Their centre points fell under SLO5 and SLO6 respectively.

Checked 23 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 5 to Clause 42.03 (SLO5), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 6 to Clause 42.03 (SLO6) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 22 to Clause 42.03 (SLO22).