A resident who complained about overgrown grass verges in Waltham, outside three properties locals say are abandoned, was told by the city council to take it up with the owners, believed to be townhouse developers based in the North Island.
But the city council told The Star it has no policy that says residents must maintain their own grass berms.
“It is not residents’ responsibility, but the council does expect residents to do it, if possible,” a city council spokesperson said.
“Our messaging on that has remained consistent.”
The cost of maintaining berms is covered within the city council budget and the cost is funded by rates.
The spokesperson also said council contractors will mow berms six to eight times a year depending on the seasons if they need it.
When asked if it might consider providing more bins for residents who agree to maintain road frontages in their street, the city council said it does not offer additional or larger bins for free as each property already has bins for green and food waste, paid by rates.
However, it seems the city council might be open to the idea of using grass berms to grow wildflowers or even vegetables.
But “any diversification of road reserve assets would need to be council-approved”, the spokesperson said.
Over the last four months, the city council has received 66 complaints related to berms.
-By Tony Simons
