Community engagement

What we did

On 5 March 2025, we held a community forum to discuss the Nature Strip Planting Guidelines. 30 community members attended and provided feedback for the final draft.

From March to April 2025, over 400 people either completed an online survey or attended information sessions and pop-up conversations at the Lantern Festival and Harmony Bazaar to tell us their thoughts.

Take a look at what we heard below, or go to the full findings report for all the detail.

What we heard

  • Support for the draft Nature strip Guidelines

    80% of participants told us that they supported the guidelines.

Key themes

Key themes identified during our conversations include:

The community showed strong support for nature strip planting as a simple way to boost biodiversity, fight climate change, and improve the look of their streets. Native plants were favoured for their environmental benefits and ability to thrive locally. People also valued how greenery cools streets, cleans the air, and helps manage stormwater.

Many people saw nature strip planting as a way to bring neighbours together and build a sense of community. It encourages conversations and shared care for public spaces. While some noted challenges like differing opinions or shared responsibilities, most agreed that green, well-kept nature strips help strengthen neighbourhood connections.

While many people are keen to plant their nature strips, common challenges include the time, effort, and cost involved. Shared strips, especially in multi-unit areas, also create confusion about responsibilities. To help overcome these issues, residents want practical support like plant lists, free or low-cost plants and mulch, easy planting templates, and clear guidance on what to avoid.

Most respondents found the visual guidelines and flowcharts helpful, particularly for understanding safety and access requirements. However, there were calls for more flexibility and tailored examples to suit varied strip conditions. Concerns were also raised about the clarity and complexity of the approval process, especially for existing plantings. Overall, the community supports the guidelines but wants them to be more inclusive, adaptable and easy to navigate.

What next?

We’re busy finalising the Nature Strip Planting Guidelines and supporting documents including sample plans, plant lists and frequently asked questions.

Click the '+Follow' button at the top of the page to stay up to date on this project and receive an email once the Guidelines are finalised.

Background

Nature strips provide space for services like drainage, electricity, and internet infrastructure. They also provide areas for waste collection, street trees, street lighting, bus stops, seating, and shelters.

Nature strips enhance the streetscape and create a safe space between pedestrians and traffic. They usually feature street trees and lawn, providing important benefits to our environment.

Well-planted and well-kept nature strips offer a wonderful opportunity to make public spaces more biodiverse, increasing habitat for pollinators and helping keep streets cooler during hot days.

Creating the guidelines

The guidelines are an important way of working with residents to embrace nature strip planting, ensuring accessibility, safety, environmental benefits, aesthetic appeal and protection of utilities.

Definitions