Dear Friends and Neighbours,
I am writing to seek your support to retain the planter boxes at my property at 40 Alicia Street Southport 4215.

The Gold Coast City Council received a complaint about the planter boxes and has directed they must be removed immediately. The reason for this is that the planter boxes are a trip/fall hazard and expose the GCCC to a risk of legal liability if someone were to be injured by tripping/falling on the planter boxes.

The local By Law stipulates that a road (including the verge and footpath areas) cannot be interfered with without a permit and there is certainly sound reasoning and precedence for this By Law. 

I wish to make a case for a permit to be issued to me, and in the case that no permit is issued to me, for the By Law to be changed to reflect the needs of our community. My reasoning is as follows:

A. The planter boxes were constructed to grow plants for the benefit of all members of the local community and to improve the local area amenity and ambience. Anyone walking by the planter boxes is welcomed and encouraged to pick whatever plant(s) they need.

B. There are several members of our community who are aged / infirm / disabled and this prevents them from bending over/squatting to ground level to pick whatever plants they need.

C. As the responsible person for maintaining any plants on the verge area, I am severely limited in my capacity to bend/squat to ground level for any period of time. This is due to injuries sustained over 25 years of service with the Australian Army, including warlike and combat operations in East Timor, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan (where I was injured by a roadside bomb).

D. Consequently, planter boxes allow plants for the benefit of our community to be grown, maintained and harvested by ALL members of our community, including those who are aged / infirm / suffer disability.

E. The planter boxes are constructed of wood and metal only. There are no foundations laid, ie: the planter boxes are built on the topsoil. The planter boxes are positioned between my western property boundary and the footpath. The planter boxes do not interfere with the provision of water, electrical power, delivery of mail and entry to/egress from the property. A planter box is positioned above the water meter but is built to provide access for water meter reading. No part of the planter box touches the mains water pipe.

I am motivated to work with the GCCC to modify the planter boxes to reduce the risk of a member of the public tripping/falling on the planter boxes, eg: tough rubber matting may be placed around all edges of the boxes and signage erected to warn of the boxes’ position.

I am equally motivated to ensure individuals’ endeavours to improve our community and our council By Laws reflect the needs of our community, especially the needs of those who are aged / infirm / disabled in some way.

I respectfully request you to sign a petition to our council leader Councillor Brooke Patterson to consider this case for a permit to be issued or the By Law to be changed so that the planter boxes are retained at 40 Alicia Street Southport 4215. Please include your name, residential address and signature on the form provided and return 

please encourage other members of our community to do the same. And come by any time to pick a few herbs for dinner! Yours sincerely,

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Simon Moore-Wilton, DSM