Some very, very interesting items on the agenda!
RECORDS OF ASSEMBLY
Once again it takes 3 council meetings for the Records of Assembly from early March to be placed in the public domain. A few things to note:
- On three separate occasions there was the notation that “the CEO left the Room.” Once concerned the CEO KPIs but the other two items stated: “Compliance with the Local Government Act.” What is going on? More lawyers? More expense? More witch hunts? And why is this not recorded as a declared potential ‘conflict of interest’? Surely officers are bound to also declare any potential conflict when certain items come up and that this be accurately reported in the minutes?
- On the Centre of the Racecourse, we get this:
“Advised that the invitation to the Mayor of Glen Eira to give a speech on the opening day function for the improvements to the centre of the racecourse had been withdrawn.
Advised that Racing Victoria and not the MRC had funded the MRC’s synthetic training track in the centre of the racecourse.
Cr Hyams further advised that he and Council’s other Trustees on the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust were updated on Trust matters.”
BENTLEIGH DEVELOPMENT
Another recommendation to allow 3 storey development, even though the original permit was for 5 dwellings (2×2 bedrooms and 3×3 bedrooms), but this has now doubled to 10 as well as ALL being 2 bedroom! So much for ‘encouraging’ diversity! Notification also leaves a lot to desire – 5 properties notified, 8 notices sent and 47 objections!
CAULFIELD PARK CAFÉ
Back to the drawing boards on this one – or merely the typical council ploy of delaying expenditure until the place is so run down that the argument invariably becomes – demolish and build a café?
QUARTERLY REPORTING
We remind readers that a public question was asked at the council meeting of February 6th, 2013. It read:
“Currently there is no public reporting of the results of DPC meetings which do not involve appeals to VCAT. In the interests of transparency and full accountability will councillors ensure that the results of all DPC meetings, including property address, planning proposal, and decision, are included in every Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda and Minutes?” (Minutes of Feb 6th 2013)
Council’s response, included in part the following: “The Quarterly Services Report for 31 March 2013 will contain information on decisions by Resolution and by the Delegated Planning Committee according to number of dwellings, number of storeys and number of objections.”
It is clear that the gulf between what is stated and what is done are miles apart. The Quarterly Report DOES NOT include ‘information on decisions by Resolution and by the Delegated Planning Committee’. All it does is present data on those applications which end up at VCAT. Hence, the community still has no idea of how many applications are granted by DPC, their nature, nor the refusal in a format that is clear, accessible, and comprehensive! So much for transparency and accountability.
FINANCIAL REPORT
- Not a single word this time about ‘liquidated damages’. Compared to the tedious repetition of the past months this might be seen as an ‘improvement’.
- The delaying of various projects (some until 2014/15 budget) – regrassing of ovals, etc.
Glen Eira Debates 
April 26, 2013 at 4:41 PM
The idea of a cafe in Caulfield park has been knocked on the head so many times it’s a joke. First time around there probably wasn’t any real interest so they’re now sneaking it back in via this latest crap. I want to know why nothing has been done for years to make sure that the conservatory is in good condition since it’s also got heritage listing. Funds were supposed to be included in last year’s budget but there’s no mention of this in the budget. Going back through the reports the only bit of money that I can find mentioned is a lousy $9000 and that’s despite a condition report and a council resolution.Now there’s the same old bullshit about it costing so much for “internal landscaping”. First fix the outside and make sure it lasts. But that’s the way in Glen Eira. Let things run down and then argue that it costs too much to bring back so let’s get rid of it and flog it off to private interests. Council would probably have to pay for the outfitting like in gesac where hundreds of thousands of dollars will go.
April 26, 2013 at 5:23 PM
Council seems to be adopting the war of attrition approach to the cafe in the Caulfield Park Conservatory -they are trying to wear the residents down. The residents have spoken many times – they do not it turned into a cafe which will result in lost parkland to provide carpaking for patrons and access for delivery vehicles.
April 26, 2013 at 5:45 PM
They’re up the put that’s why all the delays. Watch out for the mammoth increase in charges everyone. That’s for sure on the cards.
April 26, 2013 at 8:33 PM
Let’s see how Pilling and Souness reacts to this.
April 27, 2013 at 7:52 AM
Absolutely amazing officers report – the conservatory was discussed in 12/2006, 12/2010, 10/2011. The 10/2011 resolution recognised the heritage value of the conservatory (even though this Council pays little heed to heritage), scrapped the cafe idea and funds for repairs and
full restoration of the Conservatory were to be included in 2012/13 budget.
Although John Citizen would think the above was pretty clear, 4/2013 we have a recommendation to postpone the works, consult with the community about the cafe and after consultation write another report!!! Just what will this recommendation achieve other than further deterioration and rising costs of repair – the matter has already been postponed since 12/2006 and the community has voiced their opposition to the cafe idea more than once and recently too.
Why is it that when it comes to GESAC parking expansion $600K can be found, no community consultation, parkland lost, and work completed in less than 2 months after a Council resolution (the recent nonsensical Gardiners Road destruction) yet when it comes to the Conservatory $105K is postponed for 7 years, community consultation is required again and again and an acknowledged heritage asset is left in limbo.
April 27, 2013 at 9:01 AM
The Railway Crescent development application ought to tell Councillors something – with 5 properties notified, 8 notices sent and 47 objections. Firstly, we have minimal notification, something residents have long complained about. Secondly, we have a populace that is increasingly frustrated with this Council’s woefully inadequate planning scheme and it’s mission of cramming in as many people as possible while totally disregarding a broken transport system (that is decades away from being fixed) and traffic and parking impacts and such mundane things as inadequate drainage and sewerage systems.
Residents should be concerned and alarmed, not only about what is happening now and how they are being ignored, but also about the proposed planning reforms that Council is busy working on. Objections like this one will become a thing of the past.
Other Councils are busy discussing these reforms with the community because the reforms will do away with residents rights to object to developments in housing diversity areas and, by allowing development creep (no residents right of appeal) into minimal change areas, further erode what little protection minimal change has. Yet Glen Eira remains silent.
I’m betting that true to form Glen Eira will issue a weighty tome and give residents less than a month to review it (and the devil will be in the detail). They will also do the full page Leader and Glen Eira News extolling the advantages (eg. height certainty) of the new reforms and what a great job Council has done. Unfortunately they won’t mention removal of residents appeal rights, little information will be provided on the height limits (5-6 storeys is my guesstimate for most areas although Glen Huntly Road will be in the 10-12 storey category), reduced car parking provisions and the fact that Council has ignored traffic and parking management.
The new reforms will be introduced within 12 months – no doubt other bloggers will dispute what I have said, however, while I wish it were not so, I suspect that within the next 12 months I will rightly be able to say “I told you so”. .
April 27, 2013 at 10:05 AM
I’m not concerned about the delays in redeveloping sporting ovals and the saving of expenditure. Sport in my view has far too much spent on it already. It’s a sign of the times however and the overall financial oversight of council that when so much hoopla is announced about RDF for automated library services that this is suddenly cut as well. That together with the ovals saves over one million dollars. The stupidity though is that concrete plinthing doesn’t rate a mention in the savings.
On the other hand money is still being splurged on outfitting exercise rooms at Gesac and the continued full page advertisements. I don’t like the fact that all eggs are being put in the same basket and countless other services have been cut. The upcoming budget should provide a clear window into how much more we will be paying for basic services and how many of these services are being lost and downgraded.