Worksite rubbish is trashing Shelley streets according to the head of one ratepayer association, who said he wanted stricter rules to curb building site mess.
Riverton, Rossmoyne & Shelley Ratepayer Association president Peter Clayton said he was tired of seeing waste from building sites blowing onto streets, cracked footpaths, obstructions and gutter damage – and has called for change.
“We would like to get this sorted so that it will be much better for all of the residents,” he said.
“With the infill going along at a fairly fast pace, there’s less room for builders to work on and that is making it become more of an issue.”
Verge permits are compulsory for building or demolition works if a builder is using the verge, and rules state that all rubbish must be placed in a covered waste collection facility, such as a skip bin.
However, Mr Clayton said not all sites were obeying the rules.
“One of the biggest things that happens is they throw cigarette packets, drink bottles on the verge,” he said.
“In a normal situation if you did that you would be fined – why can they get away with it?”
Rangers carry out inspections before and after building or demolition, but Mr Clayton said the RRSRA wanted inspections to take place during development to ensure streets were kept tidy.
City of Canning mayor Paul Ng said builders more often than not did their best to do the right thing and comply with the conditions of verge permits, and rangers would report untidy verges.
“Builders are expected to comply with the conditions under which the city issues the approval,” he said.
“This includes a verge area that doesn’t spill onto the nearby road, that is not blocking footpaths, or obstructing lines of sight for vehicles.”
A $500 infringement can be issued to builders who do not have a verge permit and use the verge, or who have a permit but leave the verge unreasonably untidy.
The city said residents could get in contact if they saw verges left untidy or building materials stored inappropriately, and they would be followed up immediately.
