Canning counicllor Margaret Hall stands on a street verge in need of attention on Dumond Street, Bentley.
Camera IconCanning counicllor Margaret Hall stands on a street verge in need of attention on Dumond Street, Bentley. Credit: Supplied/Emma Geary

Canning councillor calls on property owners to take pride in verges

Emma GearyCanning Gazette

CITY of Canning councillor Margaret Hall wants property owners to take more pride in their street verges.

Cr Hall encouraged ratepayers to take up the City’s offer to plant free trees on street verges to help create a green canopy .

“Council is doing its best to fix up parks. We need property owners to do their best,” she said.

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At last month’s council meeting Cr Hall’s motion to have chief executive officer Arthur Kyron review the City’s streetscape management policy and local laws on street parking and verge maintenance passed.

Following the review council will receive a report and a draft policy for minimising or preventing verge damage by vehicles.

Cr Hall said while verge parking was permitted, the present policy did not deal with the destruction of the verge caused by parking.

“The result is some streets look more like sandpits than well looked after verges that enhance the green environment and amenity,” she said.

“I would encourage City officers to take walk down Dumond Streeet in Bentley where at least two-thirds of the verge has been churned up by verge parking and the visual impact is horrifying.”

To help remedy this problem, Cr Hall wants the City to consider the use of artificial turf on verges, a material that presently is prohibited under the policy.

“Grass is the most popular material used for verges. However, in the summer months where there is no reticulation the grass dies off and vehicle parking reduces the verge to sand,” she said.

“Consideration should be given to allowing the use of artificial turf that would contribute to the sense of greenness and towards the attractiveness of the homes and the street. Previous problems associated with the use of artificial turf such as drainage appear to have been eliminated.”

Crs Patrick Hall and Christine Cunningham voted against the motion stating they did not support the use of artificial turf on street verges.

“I cringe to think about covering the City of Canning in a sea of fake turf – it would be a step backwards,” Cr Hall said.