The Town of Bassendean is offering a limited number of rebates for residents who transform their verges from grass/hardstand to waterwise verges. Rebates of up to $500 will be available to eligible residents (eligibility criteria provided below).

Please note that if a group of neighbours wishes to undertake their verge transformations together, they can apply for a Community Grant of up to $2,000 dollars, please see this link and contact [email protected] to discuss your group transformation project.

To apply for a rebate, residents must be eligible and provide a photo of the current condition of their verge.

To receive the rebate, residents must have applied for the rebate program, received confirmation that they are eligible and have been accepted into the program, have created a waterwise verge that meets the program requirements (see below), provide photos of the verge after transformation works have been completed and send through copies of their receipts when claiming the rebate.

Funding is limited and will be granted for eligible applications on a first come first served basis until the pool of grant funding is exhausted. A maximum of $500 will be available per verge application.

Program Requirements and Eligibility Criteria

• The verge makeover must comply with the Town’s Verge Treatment Policy and Verge Treatment Guidelines.
• The applicant must be a Town of Bassendean property owner or strata company. Currently no applications will be accepted from tenants.
• If your verge area is greater than 20 m², the minimum verge area to be transformed is 20 m². If your verge area is less than 20 m², your transformation must cover the entire verge, excluding a place for bins. Residents can use the Town’s online mapping tool to measure their verge area.
• Corner blocks may apply, the area to be transformed on at least one of the verges must be over 20m² . 
• Battle-axe developments and strata complex or grouped dwellings where the verge is shared can apply for the rebate, but the applicant must have written support from the property owners sharing the verge, stating that they support the transformation. This letter of support must be submitted to the Town by the property owners who share the verge or the strata company, not the applicant.
• The current verge must not be an existing native/waterwise garden.
• The verge either needs to have a street tree(s) or leave space(s) for a street tree(s) to be installed. The requirement for a street tree(s) will be discussed with the resident upon acceptance of their application.
• Successful applicants must remove grass or hard surfaces prior to planting, complete all works and submitted the rebate information before 1 September 2024. NOTE: Any applicants accepted into the program who do not complete the transformation by 1 September 2024 will not be able to participate in the program again for the following two years.
• Successful applicants must include 5 to 10 cm of coarse mulch (woodchip or tree prunings) and waterwise plants (local native plants preferred). The Water Corporation's Waterwise Plant Directory and the Town’s Verge Treatments Guidelines provide information on some suitable plants.
• The rebate can be applied to the hire of contract services and purchase of materials for the verge transformation (e.g. plants, mulch, fertiliser). The rebate cannot be applied to the purchase of equipment (e.g. shovels) used to undertake the transformation.
• The number of rebates is limited, residents will be notified via email if their application is successful, and the steps required to complete the rebate process.

Please note that rebates will not be paid until July 2024.

This initiative is proudly co-funded by Water Corporation’s Waterwise Greening Scheme and forms part of our ambition for Town of Bassendean to be a leading waterwise city.