THE blossoming of tens of thousands of nature strips across Frankston has been put on ice despite a councillor’s assertion that the looming reality of a Donald Trump presidency in the US showed people want to grow their own food.
Councillors at last Monday’s public council meeting decided 4-5 not to push ahead with a feasibility study to determine if Frankston residents could safely plant flowers and vegetables on council-owned nature strips.
South ward councillor Steve Toms wanted councillors to back his proposal to have council officers report back to councillors on any benefits and risks if a ban on planting flowers and veggies was abolished.
“This practice is successfully managed within other councils around Victoria and interstate,” Cr Toms’ notice of motion stated.
“With its sustainable city reputation, Frankston City Council should support and encourage innovative and creative practices within the community which could also benefit wildlife and be attractive to the eye.”
Cr Sandra Mayer supported the planting of veggies on nature strips and said Donald Trump was elected US President because people are unhappy at “the 1 per cent” controlling the world’s food supply.
“Monsanto owns a lot of the seed supply around the world and our food supply,” Cr Mayer said.
“People are now rebelling against [it] thus why Donald Trump has been elected. People are fed up. We’ve got to start taking control back. Not everyone has a garden.”
Cr Mayer said people concerned about the cost of rates and the cost of living could see financial stress “eased a little bit” if they are allowed to grow their own food on nature strips.
Cr Toms said the beautification and food growing potential of nature strips was raised by many ratepayers when he doorknocked on the campaign trail before last month’s council elections.
“Residents were very keen, particularly in Frankston South, to plant on their nature strips – this is commonly referred to as ‘verge planting’ and it’s something that happens around … this wonderful country of ours.”
Some other councillors were wary of legal implications for council. Ratepayers could face legal costs if accidents occurred on nature strips depending on any changes made by homeowners, Cr Glenn Aitken said.
“You could have garden stakes … at an angle and a kid runs into it, who is liable? Is it the person who put the stake in? The reality is if council said you could put the stake in and a kid pokes their eye out it could be deemed, I would have thought, that council would have a degree of liability.”
Vegetation growing over footpaths could be another problem, according to Cr Colin Hampton.
Crs Brian Cunial, Hampton, Mayer and Toms voted to request a council officer report on lifting any ban on nature strip plantings.
Crs Aitken, Bolam, Lillian O’Connor, Michael O’Reilly and Quinn McCormack did not back a report.
Ratepayers in neighbouring Mornington Peninsula Shire can apply for a permit to make “landscape alterations” with council approval to nature strips.
A group of volunteers in Orlando, US is trying to change the way people eat by turning front yards into fully-fledged farms
