Maroondah is lucky to be home to 44 bushland reserves. Council look after these reserves to ensure they are well maintained and safe for the community to enjoy.
The building of bike jumps, tracks and other obstacles on Council land, particularly in bushland reserves, has become more common and can cause devastating issues and damage to wildlife habitat and Maroondah's biodiversity.
Building unauthorised structures on Council land has large impacts on our natural environment, including soil erosion and damage to native plants, which can take years to recover. Building bike tracks in bushland areas often causes irreversible damage to local indigenous vegetation that is removed. This damage to vegetation is permanent and cannot be rectified or replaced.
Guideline principles
Council has guidelines that are used to assess unauthorised structures to ensure the community is safe and able to enjoy an undamaged and protected natural environment:
- So far as is practicable Council is obligated, responsible and committed to the management of Council land in a manner which is safe for all community users.
- Council is committed to the protection of the natural and built environment for the enjoyment of residents and visitors.
- Council is committed to the provision of a range of opportunities for the community to be active and engaged in physical activities within Council’s municipal reserves.
Council has many outdoor activity spaces that are available for use. These include:
For a full list of parks and outdoor spaces in Maroondah, visit our Parks and Playgrounds webpage.
Assessment criteria
Council’s Local Laws prohibit people from interfering with its public spaces, including undertaking building works or construction activities.
However, for unauthorised bike jump and bike track works, Council will assess the work against the following criteria:
What happens next?
When an unauthorised bike jump does not comply with the above guidelines, Council may decide to remove elements or the full site. Where the full site is to be removed, Council will attempt to engage and educate the builders, users and adjoining residents to explain the reasons for removing the bike jumps.
Further information
If you are a young person and wish to speak to a youth worker about young people's use of facilities, please contact our Youth Services team on 9294 5704.
If you are reporting unauthorised jumps, damage or litter, please contact our Asset Management team on 9298 4313 or email maroondah@maroondah.vic.gov.au