Golden Bay residents petition to save award-winning rose garden after City of Rockingham issues removal notice

“The Best Large Garden in Golden Bay” is under threat of being uprooted after being ruled a public safety hazard by the City of Rockingham. The rose verges along Karunjie Road and Yanrey Street have gained huge community support after residents were issued a notice to remove the bushes from their verges. The rose bushes were ruled a public safety hazard by the City of Rockingham following a complaint from a member of the public. A petition to save the rose verges has since garnered more than 400 signatures. The home of 92-year-old Trevor Coster was one of those issued an official notice to remove the rose bushes from his beloved garden. Mr Coster’s daughter Dayl Muir said that it will be devastating to see the roses removed, despite having been a very positive attraction for the neighbourhood encouraging neighbourly appreciation and friendliness. Ms Muir said since she was a little girl, her father had roses no matter where they lived and that it had always been a highlight of his garden. “The garden was established by my parents 14 years ago — my father saved the roses from being destroyed when another neighbour down the street was reinventing their garden and had decided roses didn’t fit,” Ms Muir said. Mr Coster decided to replant the roses along the fence line to “enhance” and improve the otherwise “boring verge”. Ms Muir said from that day on, her father spent many hours tending and pruning his roses to grow it into the garden the community loves and adores today. In 2017 Mr Coster’s garden was awarded the Best Large Garden in Golden Bay from the Golden Bay Progress Association and also received a prize and title for Best Garden. Ms Muir said her father was so proud of his hard and persistent work and having it recognised by the community. According to the City of Rockingham, notices for the two properties in Golden Bay were issued on February 9, 2022. “I was requested to remove the roses, or be fined, as so indicated according to their bylaws, they were dangerous”, Ms Muir said. “Upon visiting my neighbours, they informed me that they also had the same notice.” Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin said the “spiny” and “thorny” plants were a safety hazard which posed the risk of puncture injuries and lacerations to people who could come into contact with the plants when walking past or accessing the verge. “Since early 2019, there have been five other addresses that have been the subject of a complaint about spiny, thorny plants on the verge, in addition to the two which were issued notices in February 2022,” Ms Hamblin said. “There have been very few instances of hazardous plants on verges in the City of Rockingham due to the fact that they are not allowed by local law, which is consistent with other local governments. “While hazardous plants are prohibited, council does allow gardens on verges in accordance with local laws and council policies.” The City has since extended the notice from June 14 to August 31 2022, to allow roses to be relocated within the property in the cooler months to maximise success of replanting and to also allow residents to more time to do so. Ms Hamblin said the City would continue to work with the residents to achieve compliance and local law allowed for further action if required.