Locals and a tree expert have condemned the felling of 16 of Hoddle Street's mature plane trees with more to be chopped down to make way for the roadworks.

Witnesses were appalled to see a stretch of median strip between Collingwood Town Hall north to Johnston Street stripped bare.

"The decision to remove trees from Hoddle Street was made following detailed investigation and careful consideration and we continue to work hard to minimise our impact on the local environment."