Overgrown Blocks
Overgrown blocks are a common issue reported to Council, particularly during the spring and summer months, as there is an increased risk of harboring vermin and heighten the possibility of fire within our towns.It’s not only the immediate risk to the property owners but also their surrounding neighbours that community members need to be mindful of. Residents and property owners are encouraged to keep their yards free from overgrown vegetation to make our residential streets more appealing and protect the community from these potential risks.
Residents are urged to look out for themselves and their neighbours and clear their properties of rubbish, debris and large volumes of growth before the start of the fire season each year.
If a neighboring property is overgrown there are a number of steps that residents and Council can take to reduce the vegetation.
Step 1 - Talk to the neighbour
The first step is to reach out to your neighbour they may not have the ability to mow the lawn or clean up the area due to a number of physical, person or financial reasons.
Some people do not have a mower that works well or cannot physically undertake the work.
During the summer months mower businesses are very busy and may not be able to fit in everyone who need their law mowed. If you are concerned and the owners cannot do the work - you could offer to mow the lawn for them and get them to recoup the costs for the mowing - this will ensure that the lawn is mowed.
Step 2 - Contact Council
If talking to your neighbor about your concerns does not work the next step is to contact Council be either completing a Customer Complaint form or by calling the Office.
You will be asked your contact details and the details of the complaint for Staff to be able to act. All personal details from people making complaints are kept confidential.
Step 3 - Council Inspection
Council Staff will attend the site as soon as possible from receiving a complaint. Residents are reminded that the Shire is a large area and Council staff have to travel the entire shire dealing with complaints.
Once the inspection is completed and if Council deem the property to be overgrown photos will be taken of the property and a letter sent to the owners along with the photographic evidence.
Step 4 - Owners right to respond
Property owners have the right to respond to Council in relation to overgrown block letters to let Council know the reason behind the overgrown blocks and when they are able to take action.
Council gives the owners 3 weeks to complete the works required before being issued with orders to clean up.
Step 5 - Orders
If the owners do not make an attempt to remove the vegetation and does not contact Council within the 3 weeks, then Council has the right to start the process of issuing orders on the property owner.
The process of placing orders on a property can be lengthy and take months to fully issue orders on the property. Even with orders issued the property may not be cleaned up immediately.