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Title: VERBOTTEN Post by: Kiwithrottlejockey on September 17, 2011, 12:17:50 am Garden's days are numbered By PIERS FULLER - Wairarapa News | 4:34PM - Wednesday, 14 September 2011 (http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/RasputinDude/Food%20Story%20Pix/5624726sr_14Sep11.jpg) GARDEN TO GO: Cole Street resident Kim McGuckin has been ordered to remove her garden from the street berm. — PIERS FULLER/Wairarapa News. TIME has run out for a community garden planted on a Masterton street verge, with the council saying it has to go. Cole Street resident Kim McGuckin planted several fruit trees and a vege garden in the grass between the footpath and the road. She now has until September 20 to have it removed and re-sewn with grass or the council will come and do it at her expense. Masterton District Council parks and reserves manager Grant Hathaway says roadside berms need to be controlled to conform to council standards and policies. "We can't just have ad hoc planting taking place." He says if people are keen to establish some kind of communal garden, the council is willing to look at possibilities. "I'd be happy for residents to come and discuss with us more appropriate sites to put their gardens." "It's great that they want to take a sense of ownership in our communal environment, but they just need to do that with us, rather than without our knowledge," Mr Hathaway says. Ms McGuckin's planting on public land began a couple of years ago when she planted ‘Ernie the Pear Tree’ on the lawn verge outside her property. She then planted five other fruit trees along the part of the street near her house. She was later asked by council contractors to remove most the trees but Ernie was allowed to stay as long as Ms McGuckin maintained the area around the tree that the mowers couldn't get to. She then planted forget-me-nots and veges around the base of the tree and the garden grew. She says the community appreciated it and she fielded many supportive comments from her neighbours. Ms McGuckin says the council officers told her that if she was allowed to get away with planting gardens on council land, other people might copy and the situation could get out of control. "If you're prepared to maintain it, I don't see the problem. All the neighbours are really keen about it," Ms McGuckin says. Two months ago she received a letter telling her that she had to remove the garden by mid- September. She plans to comply with the council's request. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/wairarapa-news/5619854/Gardens-days-are-numbered (http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/wairarapa-news/5619854/Gardens-days-are-numbered) Title: Re: VERBOTTEN Post by: ssweetpea on September 29, 2011, 09:38:04 am Does the council mow the verge?
They certainly don't round here and several properties have planted the verge. Admittedly those verges are a bit steep to be easily mown. Do they have some obcure by-law on the books or are they worried about piped services? Trees can sometimes be a problem but our council planted trees on the verges of many of the main roads and the old Birkenhead council planted small kowhai trees in most streets. As you can guess I come down on the side of the guerilla gardener. Title: Re: VERBOTTEN Post by: nitpicker1 on October 01, 2011, 07:39:24 pm 30th September is come and gone, is Kim's verge regrassed? |