Claremont council rejects staff’s artificial turf proposal for parking areas

A turf war has broken out across Perth after a local council turned lawn ranger and kicked synthetic turf lovers out on their grass. The Town of Claremont council in the affluent western suburbs late last month unanimously rejected a proposal from its staff that its verge policy be amended to allow sustainable artificial turf. Staff wanted to allow artificial turf to be used where natural treatments were unlikely to thrive and to enable verges to be used for parking. “As the town increases in density, school numbers and attractions, so does the need for parking. With the residents’ permission, verges are supporting this increase in demand for parking,” a council report said. Staff said sustainable turf products had come on the market since the policy was last reviewed in 2018 and its use would be limited to 30 per cent of a lot’s frontage. But the council voted 0-7 against allowing sustainable artificial turf on its leafy green streets. Speaking to The Sunday Times on Friday, Claremont mayor Jock Barker said artificial turfs were not something residents wanted for Claremont. “It didn’t sit well with the council as having plastic, artificial stuff for Claremont’s verges,” he said. “The last thing residents want on the ground is boiling hot plasticky stuff that is also environmentally unfriendly.” Two property owners on Shenton Road who the council was told had installed artificial turf despite it being prohibited now face the prospect of being forced to remove it. “In accordance with the activities on thoroughfares and public places local law 2003 . . . the town may give a notice in writing to the owner or the occupier of a lot abutting on a verge to make good, within the time specified in the notice,” a statement from the town said. It said the list of acceptable materials for verges had been “carefully considered” by the council over their environmental impacts. The town’s decision drew a mixed response when it was exclusively revealed by PerthNow last week. One commenter said they had artificial lawn on their 900sqm block and “absolutely love it”. “Little to no watering needed and it never needs fertilising ... not to mention the fact it’s 100 per cent glowing rich green 365 days of the year,” they said. Another said it was an appealing option for areas where lawn could not grow, but others said it “looks horrible”. “It gets far too hot, people don’t look after it so it ends up stinking and it’s full of weeds, and when it deteriorates it looks atrocious,” one commenter said. The Town of Claremont is not the only council to turn its nose up at artificial turf and some councils that do allow it limit its use. Property owners in the City of Cockburn need approval if they want synthetic turf or hard surface treatments over more than a quarter of the verge. Acting chief executive Daniel Arndt said the policy had been in place for more than a decade. “The city doesn’t support the application of synthetic grass to the entire verge as it can increase water wastage and run-off, and contributes to the urban heat island effect as it can reach up to 100 degrees on a hot day,” he said. “This increases the air temperature in the vicinity, which is worsened if the area is unshaded. “Synthetic turf also destroys any biodiversity in the soil through the heat it generates.” Mr Arndt said synthetic turf often required soil heights to be lowered, resulting in damage to tree roots and causing the death of mature trees. Help available from the city for improving verges included bird bath rebates, a waterwise verge rebate, native plant subsidy scheme and garden workshops. Synthetic turf is not an approved treatment in inner suburban City of Vincent because it increases stormwater runoff. Instead, residents are encouraged to turn their verges into waterwise native gardens to save water and provide food and habitat for wildlife. Native plants are made available to the residents and its annual sale and it also has an Adopt a Verge program to help residents turn their turfed or weedy verges into waterwise native gardens. “Verges are important green spaces within our community that assist with urban cooling whilst creating biodiversity corridors within our streetscapes,” its website says. Parts of verges can be paved to provide parking. The City of Joondalup has classified synthetic turf as a hardstand since 2015 and has limited its installation on verges to 50 per cent of a resident’s verge area. “The city aims to create resilient, cooler and inviting green urban space and excessive use of synthetic turf, which retains heat, can lead to higher temperatures across the city’s suburbs,” chief executive James Pearson said. “It can also pose drainage issues such as excessive water and fertiliser run off. “The city supports and encourages residents to install low water-use plants, ground covers, edible planting (vegetables and herbs), lawn and landscape treatments on their verges in accordance with the city’s street verge guidelines.” In 2018 the city told 650 property owners to modify verges outside their homes in a crackdown aimed at establishing greener areas.