Roadside gardens are to be outlawed in Auckland, with residents forced to apply for a $150 licence if they want to deviate from strict new rules being proposed by the city's transport authority.

Local boards have expressed written concern to Auckland Transport (AT) over its tough new stance on berm gardens.

AT's draft rules effectively put the kibosh on planting of berms, a use some Aucklanders make of the spare bit of land in front of their properties.

CATRIN OWEN/ FAIRFAX NZ Denise Bijoux with a freshly picked cauliflower she grew on her berm

Berms hit the headlines two years ago when the council announced it would no longer mow the grass verges in the central suburbs.

Under AT's new regulations all that will be allowed on berms are plants no higher than 30cm around trees and mailboxes, and over a total area of no more than two square metres.

Vegetable plants will not be permitted, and fruit trees are to be banned because it's claimed they attract vermin.

"Back berms" - an area on the other side of the footpath closest to a house - may be planted, but only to a height of 60cm.

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If the homeowner wants to do anything outside these prescriptive regulations they must pay $150 to apply for a licence, which they may or may not get.

Mt Eden berm gardener and co-ordinator of the On The Verge Facebook page, Denise Bijoux, says the $150 licence is "just ridiculous".

"If Auckland Council is wanting to be a 'yes' council and it's got this whole empowered enabling communities approach, then they need to get AT doing that too because what they've proposed is anything but.

"It's a totally unnecessary thing to turn into a thing."

The central city Waitemata Local Board has told AT the planned rules are "excessively restrictive" and fail to recognise the significant benefits of berm planting, such as creating bee-friendly corridors.

"In handing over responsibility for the berms in terms of mowing we need to be give people some more options than just planting grass," deputy chair Pippa Coom said.

The board was trying to encourage AT to start from a more supportive standpoint, she said.

"You can do that by giving people criteria that actually make sense, rather than punishing them for not getting a licence."

The Upper Harbour Local Board in the city's north-west has told AT the proposed rules are "inconsistent and disempowering", and it should amend their tone and framing.

The Kaipatiki Local Board on the North Shore said the tone was one of "reluctant permission", and it was disappointed there hadn't been more involvement of other sections of council in drafting the rules.

AT said it would not comment on the issue while it was considering the feedback from local boards.

To date it had followed the approach of the legacy Auckland councils and not encouraged private planting on berms, but not taken any action over ground cover flowers that weren't posing a problem, a spokesman said.

However planting in the road corridor had a number of risks.

These included road safety, in that they reduced lines of sight; damaging utility services; causing disputes between neighbours; blurring the line between public and private land; and causing ongoing maintenance issues.

Denise Bijoux said there were many examples overseas of regulatory environments which enabled gardening of spare roadside land.

'The main thing we could get from them is some guidance about how to do it well."

Roadside attraction

Denise Bijoux has been planting her Mt Eden berm for more than 15 years.

"It started with a couple of flowers after Auckland Council felled a tree and planted a pohutukawa."

Now her patch overflows with flowers, herbs, vegetables, bugs and bees.

"It adds a little bit of personality and it's about civic engagement, you take responsibility of it not because you're told to but because you want to."

While many central Auckland berms are just plain grass, there are many that have native flax, vegetables, flowers and some even have play equipment for children.

They have become an extended part of people's gardens and showcase creativity - particularly in the Waitemata Local Board area.

Deputy chair of the Waitemata Local Board Pippa Coom has posted about "beautiful berms" in the area online.

Bijoux would like to see some guidelines around planting of verges.

"There are no rules but we aim to keep things off the path and tidy," she says.

Bijoux often has a box outside her house offering free vegetables and fruit to the community.

"I meet people through the garden who I never would have known live in the neighbourhood," she says.

She started a Facebook page called On the Verge as a place for people to share their tips, photos and success with their berms.