Some Raglanders are saying that Waikato District Council’s messy verges policy is making Raglan look more like a county town than a top tourist spot. Just a few weeks after the Council introduced the new policy, the roadside verges around town are looking unloved.
Nowhere is this more noticeable than at the spot where State Highway 23 ends and becomes Main Road. The well cared for verges on SH 23, maintained by NZTA, provide a sharp contrast to the leafy growth on Raglan’s Main Road, now not maintained by WDC. Under the new Council policy, their hope is that a property owner living nearby will look after the verge.
When the messy verges policy was introduced, outgoing ward councillor Clint Baddeley suggested that house cows could be used to keep the verges under control. The Waikato District Council’s General Manager Service Delivery, Tim Harty said that a permit would be required for house cows on verges. A check by John Lawson found that the bylaws do not require a permit for house cows on verges.
Now mown, but still messy verges a little way further along Main Rd.