Verges

What is a verge?

The verge is the part of the street between the carriageway (kerb line and road) and the property boundary of the land which abuts the street, but does not include any footpath. 

The verge can often be referred to as the nature strip.

Ownership and management

The verge is crown land that is under the care, control and management of the City.  Underground services such as power, water, gas and telecommunications as well as drainage infrastructure have standard alignments within this space.  As these services are located within the verge, they may need to be accessed by the service provider or the City and therefore the verge may be dug up.  You will always be advised before this occurs, unless it is an emergency situation.

The City acknowledges the care residents take in maintaining verges, improving the overall appearance of the street and their properties.

Approval is not required when permissible verge treatments are installed. Please refer to the Permissible Verge Treatments Information Sheet for further information. If you wish to do anything outside this list, you must submit a request in writing outlining your proposal to the City for consideration. 

Building and demolition

When doing building or demolition works on a property a verge permit is compulsory for:

• temporarily parking vehicles
• storing materials
• placing a bulk bin or
• accessing the property across the verge

Street trees are usually provided for each property. Residents and ratepayers are prohibited from removing, pruning or tampering in any way with street trees. 

Please refer to the street tree management document for further information.