PRECINCT MANAGEMENT AND AMENITY

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Quite frequently I'm contacted by people who have an issue in regard to 'the nature strip' outside either their home or somewhere near to them. It seems to be contentious in different ways every time but effective communication with their council is where the solutions can and should be found.

All too typically there is 'bureaucratic warfare' going on and resolution seems be an impossibility. But why for goodness sake?

In large part it is to do the 'bureaucratic imperative' of doing the least possible and then throw 'appropriate process' at the complainants. After that, stall for a period, apparently the standard is three weeks, in order that the complainant "just goes away" – job done!

The PONRABBEL story in Launceston circa 2014 tells a tale with a twist in it and the bureaucratic rubbish that went with it is all too typical  all over the place. This story is a good demonstration of bureaucratic malfunction and ineptitude.

At a time when local governments are responding to THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY with blanket policies that are all too likely to be buried in some bureaucratic malaise or other, all this is concerning. Yet at the real coal face there is much to be done and people.

In the UK 'nature strips' are being reimagined as "wildlife corridors" and elsewhere they are being turned into 'community food gardens'. Likewise in some Indian cities there are proactive tree plantings going on. Manicured grass increasingly is being questioned as being "the proper thing".

Back in 1889 the Launceston City and Suburbs Improvement Association (LCSIA) was established to deal with 'placescaping'. It turns out that this group was Tasmania’s very first tourism body. The city says that it still shares those goals - to entice visitors to stay in Launceston longer. 

But you do have to wonder given the way the Cataract Gorge is currently being managed and imagined. 

The LCSIA had a clear 'purpose' to it, so tourists travelling to Hobart would be enticed to stay a few days longer. They established the Cataract Walkway, Crusoe Hut, Crows Nest Viewing Area, Caretaker’s Residence and undertook ornamental planting. The city says that it still shares those goals - to entice visitors to stay in Launceston longer. But you do have to wonder given the way the Cataract Gorge is currently being managed and imagined. 

Currently, it has become quite the thing to establishing a verge or footpath garden to beautify local streets, show pride in your neighbourhood and contribute to a clean, green city. Councils have been developing Verge Garden Guidelines to help residents who are interested in establishing a verge garden to self-assess their compliance with Council requirements. These guidelines support some council’s vision of a clean, green city that protects and supports their environment by sustainably managing and caring for the city's natural environment and resources. However, not in Tasmania yet it seems!

The current trend of larger homes on smaller blocks and increasing medium-density housing leaves little room for a garden these days. For years the front verge has been the most neglected strip of land around houses but it should be considered an asset as it is probably the only space that receives full sun. We need to value this little strip of wasteland and turn it into a dynamic area of green space that feeds us, feeds local wildlife, creates a safe habitat for fauna and helps to mitigate the urban heat island effect. If you have a large verge, you can achieve all of the above.

So if you are coming to me with VERGEconcerns I'll expect that you've done five things in the way of 'homework' like;

• You've telephoned an elected representative Councillor and were unable to get through or have been fobbed off with "this is an operational matter and I cannot get involved" response – both are sadly quite likely.

• You've called Council and have been given 'the run around' until the time has passed where people like you are expected to have 'gone away' – 3 weeks typically.

• You've written to your Council and again you've received the run around.

• You've engaged with your council's social media (FACEbook?) and/or social media more generally and there has been no useful outcome.

• You've consulted Dr Google and discovered what policies your council does or does not have and found some useful references  elsewhere that might/should apply in your case.

Unless you've done your homework on this topic the metre will start ticking straight up. If you have, then there maybe things to be done to move things along and your first consultation will be FREE