Neil Pilling has highlighted another important item on Tuesday night’s agenda (9.3) – the call for Expressions of Interest to convert the conservatory at Caulfield Park into an 80 seat café/restaurant. We applaud Cr. Pilling for his stance that instead of wasting more money on such EOI processes, the funds would be better spent on actually fixing and conserving the building!
The current state of the conservatory requires full investigation and answers to these questions:
- Why has this important historical building been allowed to deteriorate to the extent that it has? Why have priorities been given to ‘concrete plinthing’ ahead of preservation?
- How many more times will the old and spurious argument that something will cost too much to renovate/develop/preserve, so let’s get rid of it, be used to justify a pre-planned agenda – ie. swimming pools, maternal centres, libraries, etc. etc.?
- Why is ‘consultation’ following the call for ‘expressions of interest’ and not the other way around? Previous ‘consultation’ (ie survey) is now obsolete, skewed, and irrelevant – especially since no real proposal was featured in this ‘survey’.
- How does this support the already existing businesses in the area?
- What environmental and social impact will this have on the park and its surrounds?
- How much open space will be lost?
- Can the area accommodate more parking?
- What happens if there are no bona fide EOIs? Will council allow this site to simply perish?
Glen Eira Debates 
October 10, 2011 at 1:55 PM
The oldest Newton trick in the book. Run something down to such an extent that it costs a fortune to repair and argue that it can’t be afforded. Next just demolish or sell.
October 10, 2011 at 5:35 PM
I have seen this type of commercial coffee palace work really well in other parks or gardens. They become appreciated and well used by the public.
The question is, can Glen Eira do this well, past example of almost everything they do is shows they cannot.
My fear is, it will turn into a mess with lawyer and rate-payer money being thrown down a black-hole.
Will it lead to more of that hideous yellow concrete being poured into Caulfield park area surrounding the the hot-house.
As we saw with the GEASC, initially only some of the truth was told, and before it was finished more parkland was usurped without any real process, and a car park is being built in the surrounding parkland as we speak.
I think this type of development can add a quality social meeting space for people.
The question is … can the bureaucrats at Glen Eira do it well, without hoodwinking the public, past experience shows they cannot be trusted to run a chook-raffle, let alone manage a sensitive development like this one.