Council wars: Lamp post erected in middle of Perth couple’s driveway

A PERTH couple has to constantly warn visitors to their home to “mind the post” after a lamp was erected in their driveway.

IT’S an extraordinary — some might say, comical — sight.

A lamp post and street sign, erected in the middle of private driveway, in suburban Perth, Western Australia.

But according to the homeowners who are forced to dodge it while driving in and out of their driveway every day, it might prompt laughs, but it’s a dangerous hazard that could cause someone to “be electrocuted”.

That’s why Mullaloo couple Antonio and Nancy Grasso is fighting their local council and Western Power to have the lamp post “shifted” from the middle of their driveway on Precision Avenue.

“If we have visitors, we always have to say to them mind the post, we were going to put a flag there or something to remind them when they reverse,” Ms Grasso told 9 News.

The lamp hasn’t been working for a year, according to the homeowners.

The Grassos have to constantly warn visitors to ‘mind the post’. Picture: Nine News

Antonio and Nancy Grasso can see a funny side to the situation, but are concerned that it’s dangerous. Picture: Nine News

The council says moving the lamp post will prevent the street from being properly lit.

The council says the grandparents never sought approval to build a double driveway around the lamp post so has asked them to cut back the driveway to its approved size. It says that moving the post will compromise lighting to the intersecting street and that it is unable to access an underground cable to fix it. The couple built a 1m island around the pole, hoping it would provide crews enough access but it hasn’t.

“They told us they’re going to have to cut the concrete instead of shifting the post,” Mr Grasso told the network.

The Grassos have decided to instead continue to push for the post to be moved so they can “live happily ever after”.