Exclusive: When Aden Barclay moved to Neutral Bay in Sydney's north about five years ago, he thought his new place had a gas leak.

Plagued with mystery respiratory symptoms for months on end, he never suspected the trees on the road outside were to blame.

"I honestly didn't know what it was so I started panic, I couldn't sleep at night," he told 9news.com.au.

He said it was only when he noticed all the pollen, seed coatings and dust from the plane trees growing near his property that he realised they were making him sick.

And half a decade on, they're still causing problems in Neutral Bay.

Plane trees were planted throughout Sydney in the late 19th and early 20th century.

They provide shade in summer and sun in winter, but they also shed dust and fine trichomes (hairs) that ca

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