Pigeon poo clean up on owners

THE onus of cleaning pigeon droppings from footpaths and maintaining derelict buildings in the Burdekin will be put back on property owners, with the council saying it now had “the teeth” to crack down on the problem.

Under amendments adopted this week, pigeon droppings on footpaths would be considered a community safety hazard and the property owner would be forced to take prescribed actions to clean it.

According to the report to Burdekin Shire Council, the main cause of pigeon droppings on footpaths were unsealed or non-existent undersides of eaves that allowed the now-plague proportion pigeons to roost above footpaths.

Director for Infrastructure, Planning and Environmental Services Nick Wellwood said the council did not have the legal authority to take action.

He said the amendment would give council the “teeth” to take action of the two issues.

The amendment also included the maintenance of derelict buildings that detract from the appearance of surrounding buildings in a designated area.

Councillor Kaylee Boccalatte said pigeon droppings had been a long standing issue for many years in the community.

“Each solution that has been proposed in the past to rectify these issues was at a disadvantage,” she said.

“No longer should we need to discuss what measures are required to clean footpaths because there should be no droppings on the footpaths.”

However, former councillor Uli Liessmann fears out-oftown property owners may not comply with the requirements.

“I am for it if you can enforce it,” he said.

“I can’t see (a property owner) living in Timbuktu worrying about what's going on in Home Hill.”