On-going tree root issues and mounting infrastructure costs are forcing Tauranga City arborists to remove another stand of trees from Grey Street this week – the street's second felling in 13 months.

Starting this week four Illawarra flame trees will be removed from the Southern end of Grey Street after the trees' roots began to blow out the cobbles and roading outside the Guardian Trust building.

The felling of four trees on Grey Street begins this week.

Tauranga City Council arborist Richard Conning says the trees, on the left hand side of the road – two either side of the pedestrian crossing – are being felled at an early stage to try minimise repair costs.

'They have started picking up the road surface and with the decorative walls it's starting to move now so if we get it done now we won't have to do any repairs on the wall.

'The transport guys have told us if we don't [do it now] then it would be quite expensive.”

Richards says there is no exact cost for removing the trees and any surrounding damage. He also says repair work will need to be done on the 'top side” of the pedestrian crossing.

The trees were planted in the mid-1990s as part of a Tauranga CBD facelift – but with no tree pits to help protect infrastructure in the long term.

The felling follows 13 months after council arborists removed three high priority trees including two near the intersection with Elizabeth Street after similar concerns.

The felled trees were replaced with palms and katsura trees as they are less desirable for birds to nest in. The new trees do have tree pits.

'It's inevitable all through there because there are no proper tree pits. The ones we replace will have them. It will happen again but we will regularly keep an eye out,” says Richard.

Work on removing the trees is expected to last a couple of weeks, he says.