Commercial Project Showcase: An Urban Forest Strategy
Historic Rezoning Sees Liverpool City Council’s Tree Planting Project Breathes New Life into Sydney’s West.
“Alpine Nurseries is delighted to support Liverpool Councils urban forest strategy by supplying quality mature trees, we recognise the importance of canopy cover in urban area and positive outcomes achieved for the community.”
– Laura Featherston, Alpine Nurseries Sales Manager – Retail & Councils
The City of Liverpool, situated in Sydney’s West, has fast become the third CBD of Sydney and is the gateway to the new Western Sydney International Airport, which is due to open for travel in 2026. In addition to this, Liverpool is also home to the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, which has seen Liverpool City Council working hard to ensure that Liverpool and it’s 42 suburbs, becomes an even better place to live, work, invest, study and visit.
That said, the council undertook a historic rezoning of 25 hectares in the heart of the city to encourage new businesses and double the residential population of the city centre. To date, this is the most significant planning advancement for Liverpool, since the city was first designed, and its grid published in 1827.
This rezoning, which has been in the making since 2020, supports Liverpool Council’s vision to foster a modern, vibrant, 18-hour economy and enhance the city’s accessibility, where residents are close to work, universities and schools, amenities, restaurants, entertainment, public transport and all the green space they need, along the Georges River. With a re-development of this scale, comes a lot of planning, particularly at the heart of the city centre, where the Council was looking to roll out its ‘Urban Forest Strategy’ tree planning project. By working with a specialist partner to prepare, plants and maintain advanced trees to increase the tree canopy throughout the City Centre, with a specific focus on mitigating the urban heat island effect, Liverpool City Council in collaboration with Summit Services turned to Alpine Nurseries for supply of green life.
To ensure the smooth roll-out of this green-space project, the Summit Open Space Services team took care to meticulously plan out the preparation, installation, and maintenance phases in detail, in order for the tree planting project to be delivered in alignment with the overall vision for Liverpool City Council’s ‘Urban Forest strategy’. With many facets to this installation, the scope included:
- Survey set out and preparation of planter box locations
- Traffic and pedestrian management
- Supply and installation of planter boxes
- Supply and potting of 200L advance trees including garden pot mix and fertiliser materials to ensure newly established green spaces would thrive.
- Installation of subsoil drainage pipelines inside planter boxes
- Delivery of regular watering and maintenance care services, including application of liquid fertiliser, additional proteins, vitamins, and trace elements.
In addition to this, long term monitoring and maintenance schedules were worked into the overall project plan, with a commitment to detailed completion reporting. This protects against any adverse conditions the newly planted trees may experience in high traffic locations, such as damage or vandalism to vegetation and pots, as well as disease and water management.
From the outset, the Summit Open Space Services team prioritised effective communication with the Liverpool City Council team, residents, and visitors alike. By keeping all stakeholders well informed, the safety of the public and team members could be secured.
“We look over every nursery stock delivery before planting, and I was able to happily accept the delivery from Alpine with no concerns for quality. The plants arrived on schedule and looked great.” – Jon Philliponi Summit Services
By providing detailed, real-time reporting, Liverpool City Council received an ongoing picture of progress as the canopy establishes, identifying any potential concerns early, and creating the best opportunity and environment for each planted tree to thrive. The installation was successfully rolled out, on time and within budget. Its success adds value to the city and its residents, not only by creating more green space for residents, but by also adding to Liverpool City Council’s concerted efforts to reduce temperatures in CBD areas. For a project like this which has clear outcomes, it was important for the Alpine Nurseries team to recommend and select the best trees for this specific project. Of the 200ltr trees planted for the ‘Urban Forest Strategy’ were Backhousia Citriodora,
Harpulia Pendula and Ficus Microcarpa var. hilli ‘Flash’.
Summit Open Space Services tree expert, Jon Philliponi, worked as a Nursery Operations Manager before moving to oversee the extensive tree planting projects managed by Summit Open Space Services. Jon supervised the delivery and installation of the stock from Alpine Nurseries hub in Dural, to Liverpool. He said “We look over every nursery stock delivery before planting, and I was able to happily accept the delivery from Alpine with no concerns for quality. The plants arrived on schedule and looked great.”
With Liverpool now firmly on the map, this new and improved CBD is fast becoming a business and residential oasis, which will enjoy the fruits of this incredible tree planting project, for many more years to come.