Landscape works are part of the design approval process. A Landscape Plan must be included with the submission for design approval and approved prior to the commencement of construction.
8.1 Design
- Front gardens must complement the design of your home and be contemporary in style.
- Consider the orientation of your garden and the amount of shade your garden receives when planning the design and location of paved areas or paths as well as garden beds.
- All front gardens must be well planted so as to enable full coverage of garden beds when established.
- Landscape elements must be used to soften and screen any ancillary structures or service equipment that are visible from the Public Realm and cannot be located elsewhere within the lot.
- A minimum of one tree must be provided to the front garden (minimum install size 45L stock and 1.8m tall). Trees must be located to avoid interference with services, infrastructure and neighbouring properties.
- Garden bed preparation is recommended to include a minimum of 200mm of topsoil and 75mm mulch.
- All front gardens must be kept presentable and well maintained. This includes but is not limited to being free of weeds, litter and debris. All lawn areas must be regularly mown and kept free of weeds.
8.2 Materials and Finishes
Consideration must be given to the types of materials selected for use within your front garden and how these visually enhance your home.
- Colour schemes for hard surfaces should be muted neutral tones in order to complement the built form of the home and driveway materials.
- Any paths or paved areas must be constructed from:
- Exposed aggregate concrete
- Coloured-through concrete
- Slate
- Natural stone
- Brick
- Granitic gravel with a defined edge (such as timber or steel edging)
- Plain (uncoloured) and painted concrete paths or paving areas are not permitted.
- Paved areas must be set back a minimum of 0.5m from the side boundary and a minimum of 2.0m from the front boundary to provide a strip for planting and soft landscaping.
- Garden areas must be mulched with bark, not pebbles or gravel.
- Lawn areas must not be artificial turf.
8.3 Plant Selection
The provided plant lists must be considered when planning your garden design. Casey City Council also provide plant lists for species suitable to the local environment of Junction Village and the Botanic Ridge area that could be useful in planning your garden. A visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne or a local nursery for advice on plant selection for your garden may be useful when preparing your Landscape Plan. Please consult section 8.3 of the downloadable document on the Vision page for a full plant lists.
- Avoid planting common weed species in your garden.
- Plants for inclusion in your garden must be selected from the provided plant lists. You may select a combination of native, indigenous and exotic plants from Plant List 1 and Plant List 2.
- Any lots located within the Bushfire Management Overlay or within 150m of the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne boundary must ensure that a minimum of 60% of plants are native and indigenous plants selected from Plant List 1.
- The selection of native or indigenous plants from Plant List 1 is strongly encouraged to compliment the surrounding landscape environment of Junction Village and the adjacent Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne.
- Plants not included on the provided lists will be considered but are subject to approval by the DAP.
Landscaping Resources
Some resources that you should consult when preparing your landscape plan:
- Landscaping for Bushfire: Garden Design and Plant Selection, CFA, November 2011
- Indigenous Plant Guide, City of Casey
- Your Sustainable Garden booklet, City of Casey
- Botanic Ridge Precinct Structure Plan (amended May 2017)
