By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM AND JESSE GRAHAM
A YARRA Ranges resident has slammed the council for ‘double standards’ in enforcing its bylaws on nature strips.
The council, meanwhile, said it was reviewing its bylaws shire-wide, and would be offering the public a chance to have their say early next year.
Kalorama resident Wayne Abraham has had ongoing issues with council bylaws regarding his property and believes there is strong need for reform.
To protect a tree on his nature strip, Wayne installed large rocks to prevent cars from parking on its roots.
Three weeks ago, Mr Abraham was told by the council to clear his nature strip after they received a complaint about the rocks.
With many other residents in the area also allegedly in breach of the regulations, he believes that bylaws within the shire need to be more consistently enforced.
“The council only seems to follow up on bylaws where there’s a complaint involved. Other properties on my street are doing the same thing and the council has nothing to say about it,” Mr Abraham said.
He said that he was calling for a review of bylaws and case-by-case assessment of complaints.
“There’s just no consistency. Different people working for council say different things, and it makes it difficult for residents to comply.”
Yarra Ranges mayor Fiona McAllister, commenting generally on the matter, said the council was reviewing its bylaws in relation to nature strips and how they were used.
She said the bylaws were being reviewed because of the ownership people had over their nature strips, and said more flexibility could be an option.
“In non-main roads and quieter local roads, people almost adopt their nature strips, and we need to be clear and work with the community on what’s a good result here,” Cr McAllister said.
“It certainly recognises that, for many people in the community, they like having the ability to do something with their nature strip.”
Heavy items, such as large rocks, had the potential to damage tree root systems, according to Cr McAllister, who said the council also had to ensure nature strips were safe for all residents and pedestrians.
She said it would be important to “get the balance right” on the matter and ensure people in all towns in the shire had their say.
She said the matter would come before council early next year, and would then be put out for community consultation before any final decisions were made.
