It mainly clearance for doors and being able to see around corners for safety they would get you onI remember years ago a family in Northcote turned their nature strip into a veggie plot. The council made them put it back to grass, something about people should be able to get out of a parked car parked on the road near the nature strip.
Carpet thyme and oregano at the gutter edge to keep it low and be able to be walked on and go to knee high as you go back to the foot path but leave a path to get to cars.
Ive seen council remove fruit trees in Melbourne on the edge of a freeway where people have thrown the peach pit or the apple core out the window at the lights and its grown ,just as you think there will be fruit there next year its gone