London Plane
Platanus x acerifolia · Platanaceae
Do you need a permit?
London Plane is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.
How to identify it
Unmistakable camouflage bark that flakes away in plates to leave a patchwork of cream, olive and grey. Broad maple like leaves with five shallow lobes, larger and coarser than a Liquidambar's. Spiky bristly seed balls hang on strings through winter, often two or three to a stalk.
Where it grows in Sydney
One of Sydney's dominant street trees, planted heavily through the Inner West, City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley, Strathfield and Burwood, and along arterial roads across the whole city.
Common problems
- Fine bristly hairs shed from leaves and seed balls irritate eyes and airways in spring
- Roots lift footpaths, kerbs and driveways and invade older clay sewer lines
- Very large mature size for the narrow verges it is usually planted in
- Heavy leaf and seed ball litter into gutters and drains
- Almost always a council street tree, so private work is not permitted
What removal involves
The first question on every London Plane job is ownership, because the great majority are council street trees and cannot be touched under a private tree permit. On private land it is a protected tree everywhere on this list. Crews should mask up: the leaf and seed hairs are a genuine respiratory irritant during dismantling, and far worse in spring.
Council permit rules, council by council
Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council's size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
| Council | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Beaches | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Ku-ring-gai | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Hornsby Shire | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| The Hills Shire | Confirm with Council | Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules |
| Blacktown City | Permit required | Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules |
| North Sydney | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Willoughby | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Lane Cove | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| City of Ryde | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Hunters Hill | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| City of Sydney | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Inner West | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Woollahra | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Waverley | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Randwick | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Bayside | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Georges River | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Strathfield | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
| Burwood | Confirm with Council | Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules |
| Canterbury-Bankstown | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules |
Frequently asked questions
The plane tree outside my house sets off my hay fever. Can I have it removed?
If it is on the nature strip it belongs to Council, and health impact alone is rarely enough for removal. Contact the council's street tree team, who will usually assess it and may offer pruning or, in persistent cases, replacement at the end of the tree's useful life.
Is London Plane the same as a Liquidambar?
No, though they are often confused. Liquidambar has star shaped leaves with five sharp points and brilliant red autumn colour. London Plane has broader, blunter lobes and flaking camouflage bark, and its autumn colour is a dull brown.
Do I need a permit to remove one on my own land?
Yes. London Plane is not on any exempt species list across the councils Pro Climbing Tree Services covers, so it is protected once it passes the council's size threshold.
Commonly confused with
- Liquidambar Liquidambar has star shaped leaves and brilliant autumn colour. Plane leaves are broader and the bark is camouflage patterned
Related species
Important note on council rules
This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Herzi Pinki via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Need council approval? We handle the application.
Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.