Local residents in an inner-city suburb will be allowed to continue a beloved summer pastime after community furore over council red tape sparked intervention by a state's leader.
Repeated resident complaints about patrons drinking and gathering on median strips in the inner-city Melbourne suburbs of Carlton and Carlton North led the City of Yarra on Monday to clarify that the spaces were technically classified as part of the road, not park spaces.
That meant the treasured inner-north tradition of picnicking and drinking with friends on the lawns on Canning, Rathdowne and Drummond streets was not permitted.
The enforcement followed a 29-signature petition to the council in August which complained of noise, litter, broken glass and public urination from groups congregating on the strips, The Age reported.
Council's clarification prompted fierce backlash from locals across the inner-north, who have for years used the wide grassy strips as spaces to hold birthday parties, picnics and other casual gatherings in the afternoon sun.
Almost 7500 residents signed a Change.org petition calling on the council to protect Carlton North's community green spaces.
"The strips along Rathdowne, Canning and Drummond Streets aren't just road reserves. They're green spaces people rely on, in one of the densest parts of Melbourne," petition starter Abbey Dyson wrote.
"Rather than treating these strips solely as pieces of road infrastructure, we believe it's time to recognise what they have grown into, some of Carlton North's most loved public spaces."
After a week of election pitches aimed at pint-happy punters, including a pledge to extend pub hours and allow dogs inside venues, the state's premier Ben Carroll on Friday took to Instagram to draw a line in the sand regarding the space.
"Consider this unbanned," Mr Carroll wrote.
"Because if council doesn’t reverse it, we will reverse it for them."
The Wine Corner Store Carlton owner Steve Misfud-Ellul told AAP his business had wrongly copped the blame for large groups choosing to stop on the grass near the wine bar.
"We simply sell retail drinks to people and they choose to stop where they stop," he said.
"Ninety-nine per cent of the time it's people sitting, picnicking on a patch of grass, with the loudest noise being laughing."
Mr Misfud-Ellul said he was pleased the premier had weighed in on the issue, but stressed the council was not to blame.
"The council actually were fantastic and they acted on every complaint; they came through, they check and they saw there was no problem," he said.
Mr Carroll's commentary follows an open letter launched by the Victorian Greens on Thursday, who labelled the classification a "ridiculous and unnecessary over-reach".
The party took the issue to parliament earlier in the week and has called on locals to join them on the contentious community space on Friday afternoon in peaceful protest.
Yarra City Council has been contacted for comment.
