Submitters to the MRC Development Plan have received a letter from council. We urge readers to note the following:
- April 29th was never the set date for decision. Pilling announced it was to be April 8th. This delay far exceeds the requirements of Schedule 2 associated with the C60.
- Normanby Road intersection is not the only problem highlighted by VicRoads as we’ve already shown in an earlier post. (https://gleneira.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/caulfield-village-vicroads/). Yet Council only mentions this one example. Why?
- The VicRoads submission also mentioned working with the developers AND COUNCIL. In this letter the role of Council does not even rate a mention! Are residents supposed to believe that Council has no role, no function, and no say in what changes are now made? Hardly!
- Why, given these objections, and the countless other problems outlined by residents has Council not simply rejected outright the entire Development Plan? Why this ongoing behind the scenes manoeuvring? It couldn’t be could it that by rejecting the Development Plan council would be providing residents with the green light for third party objection rights?
- Question after question on traffic, drainage, etc. has not been answered by this council except for the stock response of ‘we’re investigating’. After 4 months Council should well and truly have determined all the flaws in the plans. They should also have conducted their own traffic analysis as any decent council would if they were truly concerned about the flow on effects. Thus far and to the best of our knowledge, this Council has done nothing but accept the developer’s version of reality as factual and sacrosanct!
- Finally, it beggars belief that official missives of Council fail to include the name of those individuals responsible for their decision making. The blanket title of ‘Glen Eira Planning Department’ will simply not do! Who is responsible? Who signs off on such letters and planning decisions and why is there no accountability and/or transparency within this administration?
Glen Eira Debates 
April 23, 2014 at 1:05 PM
Resident objections didn’t and never have carried any weight. Only when the big boys like Vic Roads get involved is council forced to listen.
April 23, 2014 at 1:24 PM
The council officers hide like rats in the in the bilge, and the councillors get caught in the traps. Sounds like a mutual understanding from councillors just wanting the money for basically just doing nothing.
April 23, 2014 at 4:53 PM
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/premier-denis-napthine-denies-conflict-of-interest-in-dealings-with-waterhouse-family-20140423-373yq.html
April 23, 2014 at 9:13 PM
It seems pretty clear that Council staff want to recommend approval of the Development Plan but are being hampered by organisations whose advice they have sought. The original C60 decision didn’t address traffic, road safety, public transport issues, so the mess has to be sorted out now. This should have been done before the Plan was put on display for public comment, as it means the public once again is not able to comment on the actual Plan that decision-makers will be asked to rubberstamp.