We’d like to know how we can support you to improve your verge and make it more inviting for wildlife and people.

Your input will be used to inform a review of two Council policies, the Verge Garden Policy and the Street and Reserve Tree Policy. We’d like to better understand your verge - what’s currently there, what happens around it, how you’d like to use it and how the City can support you to achieve this.

Purpose of a verge and verge gardens

Your verge is situated within the road reserve. The road reserve has a range of functions including:

• Service corridor (gas, electricity, water, communications).
• Transport network for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

The City encourages residents to develop and maintain verge gardens to provide a range of social, environmental and economic benefits to the community such as:

• Community space – a place to come together and neighbours to meet.
• Support active transport - if greened, they can encourage walking and cycling.
• Contribute to the environment – street trees and gardens can contribute to our urban forest and support biodiversity as well as linking up green spaces to create movement corridors for wildlife.

Verge gardens also contribute to the strategic objectives of the City, helping meet our targets and goals of the Greening Fremantle: Strategy 2020, Urban Forest Plan and Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan 2020-25.

What can I currently do on my verge?

Under the current Verge Garden Policy, by self-assessment, residents can install the following:

• Maintained turf
• Low shrubs and groundcovers
• Vegetables and herbs
• Organic mulch
• Street trees (planted and maintained by the City only)
• Irrigation at ground level
• Vegetable planters (removable construction type) that are 2m from the kerb and/or crossover, 1m from the footpath and are clear of pedestrian and vehicle sight lines.
• Trafficable paving and/or consolidated inorganic mulch less than one third of the verge (excluding the crossover) and 2m away from the trunk of a street tree
• Garden edging at ground level that does not present a trip hazard.

With the City’s approval, residents can install:

• Temporary structures such as bollards to aid the establishment of the verge garden or ornaments
• Furniture including seats and benches
• Trafficable paving and/or consolidated inorganic mulch more than one third of the verge (excluding the crossover) and/or within 2m of the trunk of a street tree
• Fruit and nut trees.

Residents may not install:

• Materials or structures which are unsafe, block sight lines, are loose or slippery, present a hazard, are impermeable, are weeds, are sharp or prickly.
• Artificial turf.

Help inform our review and share your thoughts in our survey by 24 September 2021. You can also add your story (and comment on others) on our virtual verge inspiration wall below.