Street Gardens
Greening Newcastle's streets has never been more important as we face the significant challenges of the urban heat island effect, population growth and climate change. We are planning for and responding to these challenges, but you can get a head start on making your neighbourhood more liveable by installing a street garden.
We support residents to install street gardens because we recognise the many benefits they provide.
Street gardens:
- Cool our streets.
- Support pollinators and other wildlife.
- Can help you meet your neighbours.
- Can make you feel happier and healthier.
- Absorb rainwater and reduce stormwater runoff.
- Filter stormwater so that our creeks, rivers and waterways are protected from pollution.
- Make your street look great .
It is vital that gardens constructed on public land ensure safe pedestrian access is maintained for people walking along the footpath, as well as people entering /exiting from parked vehicles. Access also needs to be maintained to public utilities such as telecommunications boxes, electrical distribution boxes and bus stops.
Our Street Garden Guidelines, Standard Drawings and Suggested Species Guide provide information on how to implement your street garden successfully. Detailed information regarding the different garden types and their construction requirements including maximum / minimum heights, clearance distances etc., can be found within the Street Gardens Guidelines. We encourage you to share your street garden plans with your neighbours using our Street Garden Postcard.
Prior to submitting a registration form, please check our Community Street Garden Planning Map below to ensure you do not live in one of our street garden exclusion zones. You can also use the map to see if you have a street tree vacancy where we can install a new street tree for you as part of your garden, and to check which planting zone your property is in (e.g. coastal, hill slopes or flats) which will assist you in choosing plants that will grow well in your area.
Please download a copy of the Street Garden Registration Form, fill it out and return it to us for assessment and approval. A response will be provided to you within 28 days of your submission.
For more information, please contact us via email to: streetgardens@ncc.nsw.gov.au or call us on 02 4974 2000.
