140-year-old Moreton Bay Fig cut down in Hindmarsh Square hours after special council meeting

ABC Council contractors cut down Morton Bay Fig in Hindmarsh Square after last ditch attempt to save it failed.

Contractors have cut down a 140-year-old Moreton Bay Fig tree in Hindmarsh Square the morning after a decision was made to remove it.

The Adelaide City Council voted in December to remove the tree on the corner of Pulteney and Grenfell Streets after advice that it was a danger to the public.

An arborist's report found the tree was cracking at the base and there was a likelihood of fungal decay in the root system.

The area was cordoned off and a special meeting was held last night after last ditch attempts were made to save the tree.

The council's infrastructure manager Neil Brown says ordered council contractors to cut it down hours after councillors voted not to reverse their earlier decision.

"Our teams have been monitoring the tree since 2012 almost on a daily basis to manage a crack that's been moving in the lower region of that tree," he said.

"Everybody in the council administration is sad to put forward any tree for removal.

"From a public safety and risk perspective, the tree was a significant danger to the public and it had already been in an environment where it had stayed up beyond what we would have deemed safe based on the report we've received."

Mr Brown said the tree had originally been scheduled for removal on January 5.

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140-year-old Moreton Bay Fig cut down in Hindmarsh Square hours after special council meeting