Green Industries
The Green Industries program aims to support private landowners in industrial areas to care for their land to create a more liveable city and a better urban environment that supports the health and wellbeing of our community.
Council's Urban Forest Strategy (2020)(PDF, 935KB) includes an ambitious target to achieve an overall tree canopy cover target of 30 per cent by 2040. Many industrial areas have extremely low amounts of vegetation and tree cover. In Hobsons Bay, trees in industrial areas amount to only 0.45 per cent of Hobsons Bay’s current canopy cover of 7.5 per cent. Targets set out in the Urban Forest Strategy aim to increase canopy cover to 20 per cent in industrial areas by planting trees in nature strips and on private land.
In addition to tree planting, Council's newly adopted Biodiversity Strategy (2023)(PDF, 3MB) supports and promotes biodiversity by creating and protecting our indigenous fauna and flora.
There are three arms of the Green Industry Program which Hobsons Bay landowners, in industrial, areas can apply for:
Tree planting - Working with landowners to identify appropriate areas for large scale planting of tubestock (seedlings) trees and shrubs. The purpose of the tree planting is to specifically create more canopy cover and may involve preparation of land and ongoing maintenance to trees.
Habitat garden - Using indigenous native plants to establish greater genetic diversity, habitat for wildlife, food sources and steppingstones across the municipality to lower the risk of species loss. Maintaining and improving connectivity between areas of conservation value is an important component of protecting biodiversity within Hobsons Bay.
Weed management and pest control - Protecting natural resources through weed management and pest animal control is essential element required to succeed in building and strengthening biodiversity.
Land holders in industrial areas are invited to apply for one or all of the above programs. We will work with each successful applicant to design a plan for your individual and can assist in determining which of the three programs may be suitable for your land.
Benefits of participating
Increasing canopy cover and biodiversity in our industrial areas will assist in reducing the Urban Heart Island Effect which benefits the entire Hobsons Bay municipality. Some additional benefits are listed below:
- Provision of shade and cooling effects during warm weather
- Wind protection
- Storm water uptake and filtration
- Connectivity and habitat for wildlife
- Improved look and feel of industrial areas, providing an attractive appearance to visitors and employees alike, softening the landscape from built structures.
- Carbon absorption and pollution filtering
Criteria
To be considered for participating in the program, you must meet the below criteria:
- Subject land must be within Hobsons Bay
- Applicants must be the landowner or have written permission from the landowner
- No outstanding planning permit conditions relating to landscaping works or pest management
We reserve the right to select applicants at our own discretion and will not guarantee acceptance into the program based on meeting the minimum criteria, but rather, successful applicants will be chosen based on how the best outcome for Hobsons Bay's Urban Forest & and Biodiversity Strategy actions and targets can be achieved.