Council Minutes - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 28 AUGUST 2012
CR12.117 445 CAMBRIDGE STREET - VERGE PAVING REQUEST
PURPOSE OF REPORT:
To consider a request from the owner of 445 Cambridge Street for the Town of Cambridge to
pave the existing Birkdale Street grass verge and share the cost of the works equally. This
property is located on south-west corner of Cambridge Street/Birkdale Street intersection.
The cost to the Town is estimated at $2,800 for 70 square metres of brick paving.
BACKGROUND:
Council has received a letter dated 30 July 2012 from Realmark Commercial, representing
the owner of 445 Cambridge Street, requested that the grass verge on Birkdale Street,
adjacent to 445 Cambridge Street, be brick paved by the Town and the costs shared equally.
The property at 445 Cambridge Street is occupied by three businesses - Creative
Advertising, Design and Marketing, Cambridge Laundry and Dry Cleaning and Jariya's Thai
restaurant. A copy of the letter is provided in an attachment to this report.
The area of verge between the existing concrete path and the kerb is 70 square metres.
The current cost for the Town to replace a grass verge with heavy duty brick paving is
approximately $80 per square metre. The total cost of the project would be $5,600 and the
Town's contribution would be $2,800.
DETAILS:
The verge on the west side of Birkdale Street, south of Cambridge Street is grassed and is in
good condition. The footpath is concrete, in good condition and was constructed in 2004.
The grass verge slopes relatively steeply towards the road. It could be slippery when wet
with rain or dew.
Most of the footpaths and verges in front of the other businesses at this intersection of
Cambridge Street and Birkdale Street were brick paved by the Town in the 2003/04 Budget
as part of a streetscaping and traffic management project in Cambridge Street between
Selby Street and Lissadell Street. This project included replacing the slab paved footpaths
and verges in front of most commercial premises with brick paving. One section of verge
that was not brick paved was the frontage on the west side of Birkdale Street, south of
Cambridge Street. At the time of construction, this verge was reticulated and well
maintained as grass.
With funding carried forward from the 2011/12 Budget, the Town will be extending the street
scaping further into Birkdale Street on the north side of Cambridge Street. It includes brick
paving the verge in front of the new child care business on the corner of Birkdale Street and
Newry Street. The design plans for this project indicate that 3 trees are to be planted in the
verge next to 445 Cambridge Street. The existing tree is to be retained.
The proposal for brick paving the remaining grass verge on the west side of Birkdale Street,
south of Cambridge Street is supported for the following reasons:-
• It is adjacent to commercial property frontages;
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