Emily Chapman Laing
A Cranbourne East woman has voiced concerns about damaged pavements.
Hunt Club local Lynn Marsh finds herself at odds with the council.
There is contention over the gum trees dropping leaves and psyllid lerps.
Lynn said her pavements and driveway have also been damaged by the spreading roots of the gum trees.
“You should see the mess,” she said.
The trouble came to a head when someone tripped over the uneven pathway to Lynn’s door, and threatened to sue her.
Lynn got in touch with council, prompting footpath works parallel to her nature strip.
But the issue is Lynn’s title deed begins at her letterbox.
However part of her driveway extends beyond this, and Lynn said this makes it council property.
When Lynn queried about her sunken driveway and her cracked and uneven pathway, she was told these were not the council’s responsibility to fix.
City of Casey Manager city presentation Mardi Cuthbert said the driveway is Lynn’s responsibility, even if it goes beyond her title deed.
“In terms of ‘driveway damage’ Under Section 12, Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 1989, council has the power to require a person to maintain repair and reconstruct a vehicle crossing,” Ms Cuthbert said.
“Assets on road reserves which serve single individual properties are not considered as council-owned assets.
“Therefore any works required to be performed on the vehicle crossing is the responsibility of the property owner as the vehicle crossing has been constructed solely to provide access to that property.”
Lynn has undergone multiple surgeries, including spinal surgeries that have caused difficulty walking.
With wiring and pins in her spine, Lynn says a trip like the aforementioned on her path could kill her.
“That’s one of the reasons it’s such a problem for me,” she said.
“If I was to fall, it could kill me.”
Looking at other properties in Lynn’s street, it is clear the problem isn’t isolated.
Leaves drench front yards.
They pile in drainpipes and gutters.
With her spinal condition, Lynn is unable to do the work necessary to keep her home free from the leafy downpour.
“I’m actually going to get rid of the stones I have and put tanbark down to help the leaves blend in,” she said.
The branches of the gum trees also pose a threat to Lynn’s home.
“When it’s windy all the branches snap off and smash into my window.”
Lynn has a deep concern for the many children who ride their bikes along her street.
“It’s a danger for pedestrians,” she said.
Lynn said she has witnessed a young girl “go over her handlebars” on the uneven sidewalk.
“What happens when someone else comes walking along here and this keeps getting worse?”
In response to concerns about damage to her property following the footpath works and a root sticking out of the ground, the City of Casey confirmed that last week they inspected a footpath outside a property on Maddock Drive in Cranbourne East and pruned a protruding root, but they did not identify any damage to private or council land.
