By Matthew Sims
Berwick resident Scott Black has hit out at Casey Council for their “continual harassment“ of a number of residents along Kilvington Court due to parking issues.
He said he has received more than $1000 in fines over the past year due to having to park his vehicle on the nature strip.
“I’m just at my wits’ end,“ Mr Black said.
“It’s just constant harassment.
“It’s un-Australian.”
He said he was considering selling his work trailer to recoup some of the fines.
“It’s actually mentally draining me,” Mr Black said.
“We’ve got nowhere to park.”
He said the council had failed to clean the gutters along Kilvington Court, causing the side of the road to turn into a “big mud pile” and filled with leaves.
Casey Council connected communities manager Callum Pattie said the council has issued six infringement notices to vehicles parked on nature strips along Kilvington Court between 1 January 2024 and 22 April 2024.
“Under the Victorian Road Rules, parking on nature strips is not permitted,“ he said.
“Vehicles parked on nature strips can damage public infrastructure above and below the ground, leading to increased maintenance costs.
“They may also prevent services from accessing key infrastructure such as water, sewerage, gas, telephone, and drainage.“
Mr Black added his neighbour Margaret, who is in her 80s, had faced unfair treatment after council claimed their property on the corner of Cardinia Street and Kilvington Court was breaching its Local Law.
Mr Pattie said the council had begun owner engagement in July 2022 after receiving more complaints before finally moving towards an enforcement approach, and the subsequent result of contractors completing the works and clearing the property in August 2023.
“The entire yard around the dwelling was completely full of items that made it unsightly to the general amenity of the neighbourhood, and was one of the more extreme cases council has had to manage in recent years,“ he said.
“There was also a large number of items such as trailers and machine parts being kept and stored on council land which was also in contravention of the Local Law.
“Since 2015, council has received a high number of complaints about the condition of the property from local residents, which resulted in council engaging with and trying to work with the owners.“
Clause 17 (1) of the Casey Community Local Law 2018 stated a person who owns or occupies land must not allow that land to be kept in a manner which is considered by an Authorised Officer to be unsightly, dangerous or detrimental to the general amenity of the neighbourhood in which it is located.
In instances where a property is in breach of the local law because it is unsightly, Authorised Officers will issue notices to comply to rectify the issue, usually giving several weeks to do so before enforcement action is taken.
For more information about how to request a review of an infringement notice, visit www.casey.vic.gov.au/request-review-of-fine-infringement-notice
