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Garden permit tussle By Matthew Sims Footscray’s Eddie Kwong has described Maribyrnong council’s demands to fill out a landscaping permit and remove the animals from his community garden and animal nursery as “ridiculous“. A resident of an apartment backing onto Footscray Park, Mr Kwong has been developing the garden for about 12 years, which now includes the world’s tallest ‘flower tower’, vegetables and a wide array of animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. Mr Kwong said people of all ages visited the garden, where they can pick up and pet the animals. A petition, launched about a week and a half ago, has attracted more than 1750 signatures in support of retaining the space. Maribyrnong acting chief executive Laura-Jo Mellan said council had supplied Mr Kwong with an application for the required landscaping permit seeking formal permission for the extension of the property’s garden into community space, as well as a notice to comply. “Council supports the beautification of community spaces, but a landscaping permit is required for works on public land to ensure any plantings are consistent with other plantings in the area and don’t exclude or create any hazards for the community,” she said. “Animals are, however, required to be housed on private property for community safety, ownership and liability reasons.” Ms Mellan said council officers had committed to undertaking a full assessment of the situation and no further action will be taken until it is completed. Mr Kwong said the community garden had become a popular attraction for the Footscray community, especially during the pandemic, with an estimated 15,000 visitors since he first started the garden. Councillor Jorge Jorquera urged the community to support the garden. “I would like to see more community gardens on public lands, both as part of the desperately important ecological care we need for good health and environmental survival, and as part of developing urban farming that can support other food security initiatives.” Details: petitions.sumofus.org/petitions/ save-footscray-park-s-community-garden2a-ballarat-rd-footscray.
Footscray resident Eddie Kwong has received a notice to comply with Maribyrnong council’s demands to remove animals from his community garden and fill out a landscaping permit. (Joe Mastroianni) 291661_03
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