Retiree goes to war with Mornington Peninsula Shire council after he turned his street’s nature strip into a garden – now he faces an $8,000 fine
A pensioner who planted agapanthus on the nature strip of his beachfront property has contacted the council after being told he faces an $8,000 fine.
Neil McPherson, known to locals as ‘Mac’, has spent the past six years growing a row of agapanthus plants at the front of his house on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne’s south-east.
The 79-year-old, who ‘meticulously’ cares for the leafy green plants popular with many Australian households, now faces a $7,692 fine if he does not remove them.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council says the aggies are ‘illegal’ and should not be placed on the curb as it is part of council land.
Neil McPherson (pictured) was told by the council that he faces a fine of almost $8,000 if he does not remove the aggies he planted
“They want to remove Aggies from the peninsula, but that will never happen in my lifetime or in my grandson’s lifetime. I mean, they’re just everywhere,” Mr McPherson told A Current Affair.
“I like the Aggies,” he said.
The controversy began when Mr McPherson and his wife applied to the council for a permit to build a carport.
When a municipal inspector visited their property to take a look at the area where the structure would be built, he took a picture of the Aggies along the curb.
“They sent out a compliance notice saying this is against the law and that’s how it all started,” Mr McPherson said.
The municipality ordered him to remove the trees before March or he would have to pay a large fine.
Mr McPherson said he has dug in his heels and will not give up without a fight.
The 79-year-old pensioner (pictured), who ‘meticulously’ cares for the plants, said he will not give up his fight against the council’s ruling.
“It was shocking, it’s just a joke and I (don’t) admit it,” he said.
Mr McPherson claims his wildlife ship is among dozens of areas in his neighborhood and on the Mornington Peninsula where hundreds of aggies have been planted.
He said the plants are located elsewhere in nature strips managed by the municipality and called the ruling ‘ridiculous’ and ‘dictatorial’.
“Every argument they’ve put forward is just nonsense, it’s just pathetic,” he said.
Mr McPherson has planted 27 trees on the outside of the fence and 40 on the inside, and takes careful care of them.
His gardening activities have won praise from his neighbors, who said he has done a fantastic job caring for the plants.
Mr McPherson, who has planted dozens of plants and trees outside and inside his property (pictured), said there are hundreds of aggies on the council-owned property on the Mornington Peninsula.
Mr McPherson has been dealt a further blow by the council, which also ordered him to remove a wheelchair-accessible footpath he had built at the front of his house.
He faces a fine of more than $15,000.
The municipality said in a statement to ACA that the plants and sidewalk were built without their approval.
“No fines have been issued, but Mr McPherson has been asked to remove landscaping from the nature strip outside his property,” they said.
“It didn’t take the Shire six years to issue a compliance statement. We responded to this issue as soon as it was reported to us.”
Daily Mail has contacted Mornington Peninsula Shire Council for further comment.