A very brief report on tonight’s council meeting. Delahunty was absent and Esakoff left the meeting around 9.30pm. The latter had requested leave of absence until early October.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS
No surprises here. Councillors followed their usual pattern of lopping of one floor from the 6/7 application, thereby making the height 5/6 storeys and reducing the number of apartments. Lobo was the only councillor to vote against the motion. For the first application of 4 storeys Esakoff moved that another condition be added – setback on top floor to be increased to 11.83 metres. However balconies could still intrude into the set back of up to 2.4 metres. Passed unanimously.
Childcare centre featured Lobo and Magee as the only councillors to vote against. Lipshutz trotted out the same old refrain of how this applicant had not been a very good neighbour in the past, but if he didn’t behave himself from now on and abide by all the conditions set down, then council would come down on him ‘like a ton of bricks’. Funny how often this same old argument crops up from Lipshutz AND HOW LITTLE ENFORCEMENT ACTION THIS COUNCIL EVER TAKES!
RACECOURSE & LETTERS
Neither Lipshutz nor Hyams declared a conflict of interest. Labor’s Lisa Neville copped a hiding for her equivocal response and council determined to keep ‘agitating’ so that the centre could be turned into a ‘sporting ground’!
VIRGINIA ESTATE
Only two speakers and Magee’s concern was with the involvement of Elizabeth Miller writing to council and the Minister’s alleged attempt to bypass consultation. He did not ‘care’ whether the entire precinct became commercial via an amendment as long as there was community input. More on this in the days ahead.
GISBORNE STREET/RIDDELL PARADE CONSULATION
Pilling showed his true Mayoral qualities here by not halting Lipshutz and then Hyams when, instead of speaking to the topic, both used the occasion to launch into personal attacks on the two objectors to the Open Space Levy Amendment. According to these councillors both objectors (who were named – a first for council) were ‘holding the community to ransom’. Pilling then had his own go by parroting what Hyams had said several council meetings ago – ie that the objections were motivated by ‘mistrust of council’. Much, much more on this in the coming days!
Glen Eira Debates 
August 13, 2014 at 9:56 AM
interesting josh Burns has something about how good having the sports grounds in the racecourse will be. Mary Delahunty has reshared this. So can we assume Neville hasn’t consulted anyone ? As to Southwick every second picture seems to be him at some function at the MRC so we know what he thinks. What a waste of taxpayers money it will be if all the libs do is to transfer the depot. Really no real gain in open space.
August 13, 2014 at 11:33 AM
The alleged “New Park” ,must created IN EXCHANGE FOR THE TRIANGLE LAND as Minister Jennings STATED in Parliament that this was the case.
It would seem an absolute waste of the reservoir land to ignore the opportunity for an underground storage area for the major part of that
$10 million block of land when the walls would only need a little strenthening and providing the weather is kept out then the walls would not de-compose as badly as if they were exposed to the weather as would be the case of the straight out park plan.
A park could then be placed on top … forward thinking planners at Stonnington Council are actually escavating to re-locate car parking underground and placing park and recreation areas at near ground level above.
more PARKS ARE NEEDED FOR THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO WILL LIVE/VISIT THE NEW VILLAGE DAILY FOR THEIR SANITY..
August 26, 2014 at 2:46 PM
If Cr Lobo was the only councillor to vote against the motion re Poath Rd, then that means Jamie “But it’s not as if you will get a six-storey building in a row of shops” Hyams voted for it. No wonder he was keen to downplay the impact of the changes to commercial zones when The Leader asked him.