Nature strips
Nature Strips are a valuable asset along council’s road network. They provide a corridor for various overhead and underground services, enriched visual amenity, space for water sensitive urban design features, street trees, footpaths and other public amenities.
Clarence has a wide variety of Nature Strips where landscaping is unique and creative. We are generally supportive of altered landscaping and you can view the Nature Strip Guidelines to learn more about how these areas can be maintained.
It’s your responsibility to maintain nature strips outside your property (other than trees).
We will maintain trees on nature strips and remove any declared weeds. If you have any concerns with a tree or weed on your nature strip you can contact us and we will assess the issue.
If you’re experiencing difficulty maintaining your nature strip, there are a few options available to you – more detail below.
To find out more call 03 6217 9500 or read the Nature Strip Guidelines (PDF).
Application for Mowing of Nature Strip support
If you are experiencing difficulty maintaining your nature strip and it is beginning to cause a nuisance for those around you, we may be able to assist – Council assistance is aimed at reducing hazards and public nuisances, and is not a landscaping service.
If you are elderly, or incapacitated (permanently or temporarily), you may be eligible for councils bi-annual nature strip mowing program. If approved, we attend your property twice per year and mow your nature strip – usually (but not always) prior to Christmas, with a second cut during Autumn.
If your nature strip is difficult to access, such as where your property is adjacent to two roads and one is inaccessible from your property, council may consider including the area into one of our annual maintenance schedules. To apply for annual maintenance you will need to outline why maintenance of your nature strip is not possible.
Council conduct nature strip support alongside existing annual maintenance schedules and cut grass to a maximum height of 75mm and blow/sweep cuttings off the footpath or road.
For Biannual mowing you must provide evidence that you are elderly (65-years-old and over) or incapacitated and unable to mow your own nature strip. For Annual mowing you will need to provide detail as to the reasons why mowing your nature strip is not possible.
Each application will be assessed by the Manager of Environment, Facilities and Recreation.
Driveways
Access to driveways over kerbs and gutters, footpaths and nature strips is the responsibility of the property owner, from the edge of the roadway bitumen to the property boundary. If properties share a driveway they share joint responsibility for the driveway.
A crossover is where your driveway crosses over land, such as footpaths, kerbs and drains. It is our policy to limit the number crossovers to one per dwelling. A second crossover may be considered in some circumstances but may subject to the planning application.
Minor work
If you want to do any minor works on your nature strip or driveways, you need our approval. All private work on nature strips requires you (the property owner) to complete sections of application to undertake works in or affecting a highway form.
Once you have submitted this form, it will be approved by a council officer, who will then issue a permit.