A Gold Coast woman has been ordered to rip up the artificial turf she’s had on her nature strip for half a decade after an anonymous neighbour dobbed her in – with council claiming the fake grass is a safety risk.
Mermaid Beach resident Amanda Blair was stunned when a letter arrived from Gold Coast City Council demanding she remove the neat, fake turf laid outside her front fence five years earlier.
The crackdown came immediately after an anonymous complaint.
‘Some idiot has decided to ring council who now demand we rip it up and replace with real grass,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Yes, it’s council land, yet they won’t mow it or maintain it. Any advice? Pretty annoyed as we wanted a low-maintenance yard.
‘We have had fake high-quality grass which almost looks like real grass on the front footpath of our home for over five years. It has never deteriorated or looked untidy, always pristine.’
Gold Coast City Council said artificial turf is banned from road verges due to ‘possible safety risks’.
‘Artificial turf can become a trip hazard for pedestrians if not properly maintained and attracts significant heat,’ GCCC told Daily Mail.
Mermaid Beach resident Amanda Blair was stunned when a letter arrived from Gold Coast City Council demanding she remove the neat, fake turf laid outside her front fence five years earlier
Gold Coast City Council said artificial turf is banned from road verges due to ‘possible safety risks’
‘It also obstructs underground infrastructure that may need to be accessed by a utility company or service provider.’
The council said it receives frequent complaints about nature-strip obstructions and is ‘required to act each time to ensure the local laws are being followed’.
Council said it first issues an advisory notice informing the landowner of the local law breach and allows them time to find a suitable alternative.
‘Failure to comply with the notice may result in an on-the-spot fine of $834,’ the council statement read.
Council confirmed it is now developing clearer guidelines for Gold Coast locals outlining what is and isn’t acceptable on nature strips, and will offer alternative landscaping options.
But the response has done little to temper anger online, where many locals accused the council of hypocrisy, pointing out that Gold Coast City Council itself uses artificial turf in several high-profile public areas.
‘GCCC has fake grass on the nature strip between Burleigh Surf Club and the Pavilion. But that’s OK – hypocrisy,’ one resident wrote.
‘They put it everywhere in parks, but call yours a trip hazard? You must’ve p****d someone off,’ another added.
Artifical turf is becoming more popular due to its low maintenence
Amanda says the turf has ‘never deteriorated, never looked untidy, and always pristine’
Others argued that synthetic turf can be hazardous and bad for the environment.
‘Council has made people on Sovereign Island rip up their nature strips where artificial grass has been laid. Can cause carpet burns if people fall on it and also a trip hazard if seams come unstuck,’ one said.
‘Let’s not forget real grass produces oxygen like trees. We can’t live solely on pretty Insta pics,’ a second added.
Ms Blair told the group that she had contacted her local MP, Ray Stevens, for help.
Mr Stevens told Daily Mail Australia it was ultimately a council matter, but added that he ‘wholeheartedly supports the ridiculousness of the directive’.
Her local councillor Nick Marshall is now taking up the issue on her behalf.
