Footpaths, roads and vegetation clearances

Eric Frei · 12th May 2008, 05:22 PM

Read this today and had a chuckle.

Residents, Govt row over hedge heights - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Quote:

Residents, Govt row over hedge heights

Residents in older Canberra suburbs are up in arms over Government demands to prune their hedges.

Griffith resident John Connors says the compulsory pruning has left his hedge disfigured and dangerous, with exposed branches posing a threat to pedestrians.

Mr Connors says the Government is concerned that the hedges are encroaching on the footpath.

But he says a better solution would be to extend the footpath and spare the hedges which are a feature of older suburbs.

"They've had some complaints, they've sent out five letters and if you implement these rules I doubt if any reasonable hedge in the whole of Canberra would survive," he said.

ACT Municipal Services Minister John Hargreaves says heritage plans require the hedges to follow the original footpath alignments.

"I get an awful lot of complaints into my office, I would say something like three to four a month from people saying to me that there are plants overgrown on the public footpath particularly in the suburban area," he said.

"Then we have to send the rangers around to people's houses to say 'can you do something about this please', it's a fairly regular problem unfortunately."

Now I know it varies council to council, some dont even have rules. For instance, with BCC it's 2.8m clearance for footpaths and 3.8m for road.

Thing is with hedges is they intrude sideways like a wall. Then sure if you cut them back all you have is twigs sticking out, quite a hazard. And depending on the species might become dead sticks poking out.

What's your stories and encounters?

Drouin Tree Service · 12th May 2008, 08:14 PM

We did a cypress hedge trim for a customer the shire had said was encroaching a rarely used footpath,good on them i say,why should our rates money pay for peoples trees...they gave him 2 weeks to get it done.

treeseer · 13th May 2008, 12:55 AM

"with BCC it's 2.8m clearance for footpaths and 3.8m for road."

People in the US must be shorter, and vehicles larger--our regs are typically 8' and 14'.

If private hedges bother public paths they are trespassing, so back they go. Too bad if they won't regrow--it was poor placement and neglect that killed em, in the end.

12th May 2008, 08:14 PM	#2
Drouin Tree Service Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,697	Re: Footpaths, roads and vegetation clearances We did a cypress hedge trim for a customer the shire had said was encroaching a rarely used footpath,good on them i say,why should our rates money pay for peoples trees...they gave him 2 weeks to get it done. __________________ Drouin Tree Services \| Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland \| Landclearing Melbourne

13th May 2008, 12:55 AM	#3
treeseer Former Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: SE USA Posts: 753	Re: Footpaths, roads and vegetation clearances "with BCC it's 2.8m clearance for footpaths and 3.8m for road." People in the US must be shorter, and vehicles larger--our regs are typically 8' and 14'. If private hedges bother public paths they are trespassing, so back they go. Too bad if they won't regrow--it was poor placement and neglect that killed em, in the end.

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