1. What is a verge?

    A verge is defined as the portion of Crown land which lies between the edge of a road and the adjacent property line. The City has a duty of care to ensure that verges are safe and secure for the public.

    2. What can I plant on my verge?

    The following treatments are permitted on verges in the City of Cockburn:Drought tolerant lawn such as Kikuyu, couch and buffalo.Shrubs and groundcovers: Must be kept to a maximum height of 600mm.  A 1.5m strip along the back of the road kerb should be made available for pedestrians, and a potential future footpath.Edible Gardens: Must be maintained regularly.  No built or prefabricated structures are permitted.  Timber stakes must be setback 2m from the kerb.  Produce shall only grow to a maximum height of 600mm.Street trees: Requests for planting of street trees can be made by the property owner to the City.Irrigation: The cost of installing and maintaining reticulation is the responsibility of the property owner.Synthetic turf:  While generally not supported, if a property owner seeks to apply to install synthetic turf, a street tree is to be installed for every 20 square metres of turf on a porous base. It shall not be used for parking and must be maintained in a neat state.Paving of the entire verge will only be permitted for parking. All paved areas must provide space for at least one street tree and drainage to prevent water run off onto the City’s road network.

    3. What can't I have on my verge?

    Some improvement and items are not permitted on verges:Man-made structures such as letterboxes, fences, barriers, steps, walls, bollards, garden stakes, bunting, signs, fountains, ornaments and ornamental lighting, basketball hoops.Ground cover and materials such as loose bricks, rocks, logos, inorganic granular material such as gravel, concrete or asphalt (other than for crossovers).Retaining walls, sudden changes in level or gradients that are hazardous to pedestrians using the verge, or that reduce the minimum cover over buried services beneath the verge.