Panania facts for a plumbing job
City of Canterbury Bankstown
The whole of Panania lies in the Canterbury-Bankstown council area, so Council's tree order is the one that applies.
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 70.7% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses and 24.1% townhouses or semis. 36.8% were owned with a mortgage and 29.2% rented.
Every tree is covered
Council's Tree Management Order protects all trees in the City. Species not on its exempt list need permission for most works once they're over 5m tall.
Some problem trees are exempt
The exempt list includes Liquidambar, Camphor Laurel under 10m, the Rubber Tree, bamboo and privets. For those, you don't need Council's permission to do any work.
Trees Sydney Water warns about
Sydney Water says roots get into small cracks in wastewater pipes, and advises against planting trees within 6 metres of them. Its list of trees to avoid includes jacarandas, figs, liquidambars, lilly pillies, brush box and camphor laurel.
Two of those, liquidambar and camphor laurel under 10m, are on Canterbury-Bankstown's exempt list. Check the species carefully first: Council won't refund the fee if you apply about an exempt tree.
Where a tree has to stay, Sydney Water says a plumber can set up a regular maintenance plan. A local nursery can advise on root systems before you plant anything new.
Who fixes the pipe
Roots growing into the junction at the point of connection are the owner's to clear, along with every private wastewater pipe up to that point. Sydney Water owns the junction and the main beyond it.
If a private wastewater pipe has collapsed under a public footpath or road, Sydney Water may repair it for residential customers, once a licensed plumber confirms that digging up the road or footpath is the only way to fix it. See pipe relining in Sydney for repairs on your side.
What we would do
Identify the tree before anything else. If it's on Council's exempt list, you can deal with it without permission; if not, plan on fixing the pipe and keeping the tree. Either way, ask the plumber where the roots are getting in, because roots at the junction are still yours to clear, while a collapse under the footpath may be Sydney Water's to repair. We'll match you with a drain specialist who handles root jobs.