Yarra News - May
Little boxes on the roadside
1 May 2012 Edition
There’s a new planter box on the corner of Ramsden Street and Clifton Avenue in Clifton Hill that has neighbours talking.
“We’ve had offers from kids down the road to water it, and one of our neighbours has offered access to their hose so we can water it,” says Maude Farrugia, who built the planter box with her partner Neil Erenstrom.
“It’s actually really nice because we can go and potter around in the morning before work and people stop on the way past to have a chat.”
The herb-filled planter box is the first to be approved under Council’s Urban Agriculture guidelines. The step by step guidelines were adopted by Council in 2011 with the aim of helping people who want to start community gardening projects in public spaces.
Before Council approves an application, it needs to have the support of people living or working nearby.
Maude said going door to door to talk to people on their street about the idea had been one of the best parts of the project.
“That was really cool because we got to know some of the neighbours that we hadn’t met.”
Maude said she would like to see a few more boxes around Clifton Hill too, so people could benefit from a network of them growing different types of produce.
If you would like to know more about Council’s Urban Agricultural Guidelines, please visit www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/Community-gardens/
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