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 hazards. If you think a tree seems overgrown or. unsafe, you can request their removal by contacting us.
We can also assist the elderly with twice annual or once annual mowing of nature strips. See application below.
To find out more, call 03 6217 9500 or complete our request for mowing of nature strip form below.
View the Nature Strip Guidelines (PDF).
Application for Mowing of Nature Strip support
Council will mow at a time that is most convenient to council based on resource availability – cutting grass to a maximum height of 75mm and blow/sweep cuttings off the footpath or road.
- Biannual mowing usually occurs prior to Christmas, with a second cut usually during Autumn.
- Annual mowing will occur in-line with other council programs, usually during summer.
For Biannual mowing you must provide evidence that you are elderly (65-years-old and over) and 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.
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.