[Legless]

Hi Guye,
I suspect that after the party Kevin wont be feeling too well and will eventually succumb to his injuries. Any changes in the root zone of a mature Eucalypt such as the excavation for footings and slab will inevitably damage the roots, it may take 5 years but I expect Kev's days are numbered. Most councils would allow trees within 3000mm of a building to be taken out and while you may like him he won’t respect you and will cause you grief eventually be it through dropped limbs, cracked walls, floors and foundations and not to mention the considerable amount of debris and inconvenience with vehicle manoeuvring. In my experience I would get the garage approved then if the tree’s removal was not addressed in the DA seek approval for the removal of the tree. Take the tree down get the stump ground out then use a small excavator to cut in your new driveway and excavate for the foundations of the garage. If you can’t get approval to remove the tree the excavation presents ample opportunity to feed Kev some glypho through damaged roots. When it is apparent Kev didn’t enjoy the excavation and drink seek approval for his removal and change the plan, then cut in your new drive.

cheers
Legless