St Ives in four facts
Long-term owners
At the 2021 Census, 66.1% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses and 26.1% apartments. 41.8% were owned outright and only 16.6% rented, against 32.6% across NSW.
Ku-ring-gai Council
St Ives gives its name to one of Ku-ring-gai's wards, which also takes in St Ives Chase and parts of Pymble. All of the suburb's dwellings sit in the Ku-ring-gai council area.
The tree test
Ku-ring-gai counts a plant as a tree once it reaches 5 metres or has a trunk 150 mm across at ground level. Work on one needs an application unless an exemption applies.
Pipe before tree
Council's tree guidelines restrict removing a tree that affects sewer or stormwater lines if the pipe can be replaced, relined or relocated instead.
Roots in the sewer: the order of work
Council says to explore every option with your plumber before applying to remove a tree. In practice that means finding out what the pipe is doing. A plumber can run a camera through the line to see where roots are getting in and how sound the pipe is around them.
From there the choice is usually between relining the pipe, which seals it from the inside, or digging up and replacing the damaged section. Either way, write down what the plumber found. If you do end up applying to remove the tree, Council will want to know why the pipe couldn't be fixed.
Sydney Water says roots that enter the junction at your point of connection are the owner's to clear. It also suggests not planting trees within 6 metres of wastewater pipes, and a local nursery can advise on root systems.
Sewer, or a system on site?
Ku-ring-gai Council says most homes in its area are connected to Sydney Water's sewer. Owners maintain the private wastewater pipes on their land, and Council says to contact a licensed plumber for a blockage or overflow there.
Homes not connected to a Sydney Water sewer main may have an on-site wastewater management system, and every one of those needs Council approval. If you're unsure which you have, Sydney Water's sewer service diagram for your property shows the private pipes and the point of connection. Our septic systems page covers on-site systems.
Your part and Sydney Water's
The private pipe runs from your house to Sydney Water's system, and you own it up to and including the connection. If a blockage turns out to be in Sydney Water's main, a plumber who reports it lets you claim reasonable costs, capped at 2 hours of labour. More on blocked drains in Sydney.
What we would do
Before anyone mentions removing a tree, get a camera inspection and a written report showing where the roots are entering. If the pipe can be relined or a section replaced, that is likely the path Council expects, and it often keeps the tree. Ask the drain specialist to quote both options so you can compare them.