Congestion central: Chadstone expansion hard to swallow
Nicole Cridland
RESIDENTS say an expansion of Chadstone Shopping Centre will swallow small business in parts of Glen Eira and worsen traffic congestion. Trish Fields said businesses in Carnegie were suffering and residents were being fined for parking infringements while Chadstone had been allowed to continue to grow and offer all-day parking. ‘‘It’s a case of the Fashion Capital versus local neglect as a monolith grows and grows,’’ Ms Fields said. ‘‘There is no consideration for local traffic, but every effort is made to help Chadstone grow while small traders in surrounding areas are actively being restricted.’’
Stonnington Council is seeking approval from Planning Minister Matthew Guy to allow an amendment to the Planning Scheme before placing the proposed $500 million Chadstone expansion on public exhibition in January. Local resident Matthew Knight said news of the planned expansion, that included an office tower and hotel up to 13 storeys as well as 27,000sq m of extra retail space, was a ‘‘shocking revelation’’ to the community. ‘‘With Dandenong and Warrigal roads already completely congested, this massive expansion will simply overwhelm the local road network,’’ Mr Knight said. ‘‘Given that there is insufficient parking and no plans for any significant expansion of public transport access, the only certainty is a congestion crisis at Chadstone.’’
Ms Fie l d s said traders in Carnegie and Malvern East were being unfairly penalised by parking restrictions. ‘‘There is no effort to scour Waverley Rd to monitor parking overstays or speeding drivers who use the side streets and make illegal turns to avoid the traffic lights,’’ Ms Fields said.
Glen Eira Debates 
December 20, 2011 at 11:25 AM
The retail study that came with the c60 application said don’t worry Chadstone won’t be a problem. How wrong can you be. Chadstone is expanding like the old pac man eating everything in its path and to hell with all local shopping strips – including the proposed 20,000 square metres of commercial retailing within the phoenix precinct. That study didn’t look at other local strips and now Chadstone doesn’t give a damn about it or anywhere else. Poetic justice maybe. How convenient too that Glen Eira Council now doesn’t have a commercial centres policy in its planning scheme nor does it have parking precinct plans for its activity centres and no structure plans for anywhere. Glen Eira will just end up a series of little strips full of restaurant after restaurant with half of them closing down in 6 months.
December 20, 2011 at 4:35 PM
Congratulations on achieving 200,000 hits. Also Merry Christmas to all and lets hope for a better 2012 for Glen Eira!
December 24, 2011 at 11:32 AM
I concur with my learned friend, the Honourable John Citizen. The achievement of hitting 200,000 hits is almost without precedent. Remarkably, it was all done without the need for Paul Burke’s propaganda and spin. (Actually, it has been BECAUSE of Pauls propaganda and spin that GE Debates is so, so popular),
Perhaps our councillors will take note. Their performance this year has been pitiful, and often quite disgusting. Problem is, what does next year hold? More of the same, no doubt. More deception, more secrecy, more confused decisions, more of Lipshutz’s pathetic ‘no surprises policy’, more of Andrew’s habitual abuse of the word ‘confidential’.
When John C says he hopes Glen Eira has a better 2012, we can all agree. After all, NOTHING could be worse that the performances of 2011.