[Anna R]

I feel that a broader proposal to ‘spruce things up’ as mentioned by PeterC would be best. It seems the only thing that needs OC approval is the fence.

As it stands, the area can be used by anyone for any purpose, be it children playing, soccer matches or a picnic. Those activities would all be covered by existing by-laws re use of common property, so I don’t think that I am changing the use of the area with my proposal.

The reason it is not much used is aesthetic.  It is just a long, narrow stretch of grass, with a building wall on one side and external garage wall with vents on the other.  For smaller children, the safety aspect comes in with the stairs at either end.

I am hoping my proposal will make this area better used by all, for whatever purpose.  Our building is quite harmonious – but we don’t know each other very well.  There are multiple stairway entries, so we tend to only see the people who share our stairway. I hope that a common garden area with nice plants, and a bench or two will lead to more interaction with neighbours.  And if that’s the Mums and kids most of the time, then that’s a start.  I don’t see why we can’t have community Christmas and other get-togethers there too.

Perhaps I’m too much of an optomist, but I hope people will respect their neighbours when using the area. And if we get to know each other more, people tend to be more considerate of people they know.

On the practical front, we should be able to take the money from the maintenance budget, and we have a very healthy sinking fund anyway.

[Anna R]

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies and advice. 

Our building has the standard by-laws, which state that children must be supervised in dangerous areas, and can play unsupervised on safe common areas such as lawns.

I wasn’t planning to make it an exclusive childrens area – certainly no play equipment as there would be liability (and maintenance) issues with that. I am hoping that making the space more attractive would benefit all the residents.  The need for a fence is due to the stairs at either end of the lawn, which are quite steep.

From Whales advice, it seems we need a special resolution to erect the fence.

How does this sound?

To make the common property lawn area more useable by the installation of fencing, landscaping and other amenities, with a budget of up to $

Many Thanks

Anna

[Author]

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