Nature strip treatment includes grassing except where street trees and associated mulch rings are located. All nature strips abutting reserves or Council managed facilities shall be mown and maintained to the same standard as the reserves or facilities.

In areas where building works are being undertaken the establishment of nature strip grassing or any other acceptable treatment approved by the Council Representative may be delayed for a defined period of time. In these instances PC can be approved for the overall landscape works within the development and the two (2) year maintenance period can commence prior to the nature strip grassing occurring. However grass nature strips must be established with a second cut prior to the end of the first year maintenance period. Failure for any reason to establish the nature strips within the first year of maintenance will lead to an extension of the maintenance period of the entire site.

The Site Superintendent is responsible to ensure that at all times either prior to the grassing process or after the seed sprigging or turfing has been undertaken the site is in a clean and tidy condition free of rock weed and rubbish and the grass mown.

Passive open space

Parks and reserves are to be sprigged or solid turfed with a warm season turf species and appropriately watered and mown to promote establishment during the growth season. Turf acceptance criteria are shown in the table pictured overpage (page 20). The use of seed including direct seeding and hydro seeding has consistently produced poor results within the City of Greater Geelong and is not an accepted practice for grass establishment within Council reserves.

For the purposes of achieving Practical Completion during cooler months landscapes may be established with a sacrificial cover of winter grass. All landscapes seeded with winter grass will need to have the winter grass removed and replaced with sprigged or solid turfed kikuyu or couch at the start of the first growing season following PC. Warm season turf is then to be appropriately watered and mown to maximise coverage during the growth season.

A 90% coverage of kikuyu or couch with no bare or weed patches greater than 1m2 is required to achieve Handover at the conclusion of the maintenance period.

Where sacrificial cool season turf is established for the purposes of Practical Completion the seed must have a minimum 80% germination showing even coverage with no significant bare patches and must have achieved a minimum of first-cut prior to Practical Completion.

Playing surfaces (sporting fields)

For line planting or muck spreading:

• Use a minimum of 700m² of sod per hectare.

• Sod or topmaked material must be used not scarified sprigs.

• Existing grass cover must be killed or removed before planting.

• Overseeding of the planted area is not permitted until the warm season variety is established.

• A soil analysis by a NATA accredited lab and a report by a certified soil or turf professional will be required for approval to proceed. A fertility program is to be based off this soil analysis.

• Topsoil needs to be a minimum of 200mm thick.

Table 3: Turf species acceptance criteria