Glen Eira Debates

May 28, 2013

5 Responses to “‘Concern’ Over 12, But Not 20!!!!”

1. Macca Says:

   
   May 28, 2013 at 9:18 AM

   Hyams might be concerned. Only his conscience would know. I’m far more concerned with what he and his other long time colleagues have done to ameliorate the drawbacks that permit these kinds of decisions in Glen Eira. If policies are allowed to lapse and nothing is done about parking, heights, and so forth, then all the crying in the world about overdevelopment is worthless.

   Hyams is a publicist and some people have called him a propagandist. He needs all his skills to rebut the charge that he has done nothing but aid and abet the greedy of our society.
2. Reprobate Says:

   
   May 28, 2013 at 10:23 AM

   The “squat rather than slender” comment was a ridiculous thing for a VCAT member to say in making a decision. Parliament House, St Pauls, Flinders St Station, Southern Cross (nee Spencer St) Station, Immigration Museum, Federation Square, The Shard, Old Treasury, and the hideous VCAT HQ…they’re all squat. Few of us shed a tear for the now-demolished Gas&Fuel Towers that blighted the city, but I certainly lament the loss of the Federal Hotel and other fine CBD landmark buildings–many of them “squat”. I hope people are aware that the Attorney General is responsible for VCAT and its execrable performance, and its the AG who decided unilaterally to increase VCAT charges by up to 1800% without any quality control over its decision-making. “Positive contribution” is one of the phrases VCAT throws up, similar to “emerging character”, with no basis in the formal decision criteria for using it. Try searching GEPS for “positive contribution” and you’ll only find a reference to the Outer Circle Linear Park in Murrumbeena.

   As for Council, or in this case “our” Mayor, being concerned: Council has systematically failed to respond to the challenges of the Planning Regime. They took, meekly and without question, Jeff Akehurst’s advice not to do what they are supposed to do concerning structure planning for areas of activity. Jeff is only a member of council staff, albeit a senior one, so therefore is not accountable to the municipality. Only the CEO is accountable to Council and theoretically therefore to us. Let’s hear the CEO’s explanation why Council doesn’t take seriously the Activity Centre Design Guidelines (published by DSE, before Sustainability and Environment were considered incompatible with development).
3. D.Evans Says:

   
   May 28, 2013 at 11:03 AM

   The die was cast years ago. Glen Huntly Road will have a ten storey development. Now Dandenong Road is following suite. This makes it impossible to argue for any reasonable height limits along tram lines when the new zones come in. The fall back position will be that the Minister won’t approve the bogus council plan for a limit of 5 or 6 storeys – not when there’s 10 and 12 already in existence. The precedent argument will win out. That makes it even more reprehensible that council’s planners and councillors have sat on their backsides for eons and done nothing to safeguard our neighbourhoods and shopping strips. The buck does stop with Newton and his grovelling disciples.
4. Here's to good healthy living in Glen Eitra Says:

   
   May 28, 2013 at 3:40 PM

   And when those lucky enough to have light and opening windows they will have the traffic fumes and dust from the railway, not to mention the noise. Come on rickets, vitamin deficiencies, tuberculosis, and mental illness because of unsatisfacvtory living conditions.
5. Anon Says:

   
   May 29, 2013 at 11:00 AM

   Hyams does not have a conscience. (MODERATORS: sentence deleted) He looks for fame and wants to appear in the news. I recall someone calling him an eel on this forum

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