Tree removal in Selby
Selby is steep, and most of it is under an erosion overlay as well as the landscape one. On a slope here, a tree half the size can need a permit.
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Ask for a quoteSherbrooke Forest. Photo: Patche99z, Public domain
The rule in Selby
We sampled 25 points around Selby, and 18 of them fell inside the suburb. All 18 were under a landscape overlay: SLO1, the ranges overlay, at 12, and SLO3, the Puffing Billy corridor, at 6. The two have the same tree terms. A council permit is needed for native vegetation of any size, and for any tree with a trunk more than:
- 1.1 m
- around, measured 1.3 m up. A trunk that size is about 35 cm across. Under the erosion overlay, the line drops to 50 cm around (below).
- 2 m
- The erosion overlay exempts vegetation within 2 m of a building. It covered 14 of the 18 points.
- 4 m
- SLO1 and SLO3 exempt vegetation within 4 m of a building. On a block under both overlays, the 2 m answer is the one that holds.
- 10 m
- The 10/30 rule overrides all of them for an older house. All 18 points were in a Bushfire Prone Area. How it works.
SLO1 and SLO3 also leave out dead vegetation, health pruning of up to a third of a plant, the council's listed environmental weeds, and regrowth under 10 years old on land that was lawfully cleared, unless fire or flood did the clearing.
Get a free property report from VicPlan to see which overlays cover your block.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 42.03 (SLO3) and Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 52.12 (bushfire protection exemptions).
Steep ground and the erosion overlay
Selby is hilly enough that the road and the railway both wind through it, and Black Hill rises steeply on the east side of the township. In 1953 a landslide past Selby put the narrow-gauge line out of regular use. It closed the next year and reopened in 1962 as Puffing Billy.
On ground like that, the erosion overlay is the rule that bites. Where it applies, a permit is needed for any tree more than 50 cm around, exotic or native, unless it is within 2 m of a building. A dead tree can go without one if the ground is made good afterwards. On a slope, ask before the job is quoted whether to grind the stump or leave the roots holding the bank.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Selby, Victoria, Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 44.01 (EMO) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 44.01 (EMO3).
The Puffing Billy corridor
The station opened in May 1904 and took its name from George Selby, a local landowner and councillor. SLO3 protects the views from the line. Its statement describes forest trees and large exotic plants running into private gardens and road edges, and it aims to keep the mix of indigenous, native and exotic trees.
Two heritage places in Selby have tree controls of their own:
- Glen Park Cypress Avenue on Blackhill Road (HO225).
- The former Flora Feldie guest house on Maskells Hill Road (HO33).
On those places a tree needs a heritage permit whatever its size. Your property report lists any HO number on your block.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Wikipedia: Selby, Victoria, Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 3 to Clause 42.03 (SLO3) and Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule to Clause 43.01 (Heritage Overlay).
Other overlays
- ESO1, at 7 of the 18 points, covers native vegetation and exempts 4 m from a building. It keeps a permit on a standing dead tree more than 1.3 m around, which SLO1 and SLO3 would let go. ESO1 is the habitat overlay. Koalas, wombats, black wallabies and yellow-tailed black cockatoos all live around Selby.
- The Bushfire Management Overlay covered all 18, so an older house may also clear everything except trees out to 50 m.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.01 (ESO1), Victoria Planning Provisions, Clause 52.12 (bushfire protection exemptions) and Wikipedia: Selby, Victoria.
The rule next door
- Belgrave
- The township overlay, SLO22: trees over 50 cm around, 2 m from a building. Seven of our 25 points were over the line in Belgrave.
- Kallista, Sherbrooke, Belgrave Heights and Belgrave South
- SLO1: 1.1 m around, 4 m from a building.
- Menzies Creek
- Straddles Cardinia, where the overlays set no minimum size for a tree.
The permit guide has each council.
Checked 7 October 2026 against Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 22 to Clause 42.03 (SLO22), Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1) and Cardinia Planning Scheme, Schedule 1 to Clause 42.03 (SLO1).
Ask for a quote
Tell us where you are and what needs doing. We pass it to a local arborist who works in the hills. They ring you back to talk about the job.