Refreshing Park News
The Fixer gets the right fix for popular plaza
Andrea Kellett
ELSTERWICK plaza has finally received the green light to start its transformation from eyesore to community gateway.
After the Leader’s The Fixer column publicised the problem (“Park goes from lovely to eyesore, October 22, 2012), community leaders called for a revamp of the prime land next to the railway station, backed by Transport Minister Terry Mulder.
Caulfield state MP David Southwick has now negotiated a 20 to 25 year lease from the landowner, railway authority VicTrack.
It is conditional on a commitment from Glen Eira Council to “invest substantially in the improvement, beautification and upgrade of the park”, he said.
We’ve secured this as public open space,” Mr Southwick said. “This is a prime piece of real estate and we want it to be a community asset.
The council has sought a lengthy lease from VicTrack, which would justify a costly revamp, and has been trying to change its year-by-year lease arrangement since 2007.
Mayor Jamie Hyams said the council had not wanted to invest ratepayers’ money without a long lease. He, Mr Southwick, traders and residents agree the plaza and historic rifle range are dilapidated, unsafe and overdue for a facelift.
“Council has been pushing for this for a long time,” Cr Hyams said. “I would hope funding for the park would be in the next council budget so works could be carried out in the next financial year.”
Elsternwick Main Street Committee chairman Brent Howard said he was delighted. “We want to encourage as many people as possible to come and the more vibrant it is, the better retailers will do,” Mr Howard said.
Camden Ward Cr Mary Delahunty described the outcome as a “victory for the people of Elsternwick”.
Glen Eira Debates 
January 29, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Pretty cheeky of the leader to imply that it played a major role in getting this off the ground since this area has been on the radar since at least 1998. My worry is that if there’s been a safety issue as is stated for years then why didn’t the council do anything about it since they manage the land.
January 29, 2013 at 4:34 PM
It’s crazy that no one has done anything to this place for this long. Council sat on its backside. Good on Delahunty for getting off her backside and talking to people and getting the wheels turning.
January 29, 2013 at 6:44 PM
To say that Delahunty got things started is nothing more than a public lie. This has been in the pipeline for years. Delahunty did nothing.
January 29, 2013 at 10:05 PM
A bit like Baillieu taking credit for the Peninsula Link, huh? 😉
I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. It’s a puny piece of land in a not particularly prepossessing spot.
January 29, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Southwick needs all the positive publicity he can get after the professorial stunt. Now he’s tagged as the negotiator el supremo – mrc and this little garden of eden. One can’t balance out the other though. Mind you, if we’re going to have to wait until it gets into the council budget and then actually starts being developed then we’re looking at 5 years at least. Funny how they can pull car parks out of the hat and lawyer fees, but nothing for the environment, good planning and transport.
January 30, 2013 at 7:45 AM
Council has been advocating for a long term lease for this land since 1998 (14 years of advocating = questions about the seriousness and strength of Council’s advocating). No doubt Council will be openly proclaiming this as an achievement in their long history of dismal open space performance (despite the equally long history of placing it at the top of each community/council plan).
As for Delahunty’s (Labour) involvement at least she prominently raised a local ward issue that has been dormant for years and, unlike Southwick, announced her involvement prior to the official announcement. Yet simple timing (elected November, 2012 and announcement January, 2013) means her efforts achieved little.
As for Southwick – aint the first time his spin claims an active role in achieving a “positive” out come. First we had the passing of the C60 (which he campaigned against but did an about face within days of being elected), second we have the centre of the racecourse (his limited involvement being used to counter the C60 sell out) and now we have Elsternwick Plaza.
So we have three claimants for the accolades – the reality is that the State Election is looming and, as media coverage predicts a cliff hanger election, jockeying for position is in full swing.