#16337
Jimmy-T
Keymaster

    @Juan Durection said:
    So you don’t agree with my trailer-park theory?

    As I will argue in my upcoming book “Dirty Linen – the Social Significance of Washing Lines”, the way we view laundry drying has changed over the years.  The lines suspended between apartment blocks in New York and Rome, in days gone by, have a romanticism that the beach towels drying over Gold Coast balconies don’t quite possess.  Glasgow Tenement flats had ‘pulleys” that raised the dripping laundry above the kitchen where they would dry, protected from the inclement West of Scotland weather (but not from the chip fat fumes of the nightly fry-up).

    Now, here in Australia, our affordable luxury ceilings are too low for any such contraption so it’s either environmentally destructive and expensive tumble dryers or visually challenging but ecologically right-on (and free) balcony drying.  And far from visible washing being a sign of social disintegration, the balcony by-law breaches are just as likely to be a sign of environmentally aware and socially responsible members of the cappuccino-sipping set as they are to be ‘trailer trash’ who have upgraded to un-wheeled accommodation.

    What I find more upsetting are the bamboo fences that are starting to appear on balconies (especially in the great and growing Gulag on the way to the airport) as residents realise there was a very good reason neighbouring buildings were airbrushed out of the artists impression of the block in which they bought off the plan.

    The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.