AND FROM TODAY’S LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – CAULFIELD LEADER
October 7, 2014
Coming To Your Letterbox!
Posted by gleneira under Councillor Performance, GE Planning, GE Service Performance[12] Comments
[12] Comments
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Glen Eira Debates %d
October 7, 2014 at 12:54 PM
Folks should check out their website and see who their “partners” are – some of the biggest developers or planners to put in applications to council – Town Hall Consulting for one. Helps when you are already buddy buddy and on first name basis with Akehurst and his friends in planning,
October 7, 2014 at 1:59 PM
Ya know when the zones came out there wasn’t a big whimper – 12months on there is a huge crescendo coming from both the growth zones and NRZers.
. growth zones because “residential height limits” = go for the max, limited permeable = boundary to boundary development, parking and loading bay requirements are waived, traffic impact is ignored. No to mention all internal amenity (i.e. access to natural light, ventillation and private open space) and external amenity standards (i.e. overlooking, overshadowing) are out the window.
. NRZers are realising that subdivision prior to lodging a planning permit application puts paid to the 2 dwellings per lot crap (regardless of the lot size and what a bonus a lane way is), the traffic and parking mayhem both from within the NRZ and the growth zones will also hit them big time and not to mention the fact that the so called transition zones are a crock of shit (3rd and 4th storey setbacks look great during the backyard deck barbie) and don’t really do a lot for overshadowing or overlooking.
It’s no wonder Council (ie. Newton, Akehurst and Hyams) didn’t want consultation.
Rumour has it that the good for nothing Councillor’s who just blindly accepted the N.A.H. line of no need for consultation are beginning to feel uncomfortable. Beginning to feel uncomfortable???!!!!!.
Somehow I don’t think the folks struggling to maintain some sort of amenity as 3 or 4 stories goes up next to them, think “beginning to feel uncomfortable” quite covers it.
October 7, 2014 at 3:32 PM
Foreign investors have no interest in local neighbourhoods or social amenity. Their objective is to make as much money as they can, or hold onto one single property for the future – in case the situation in Hong Kong goes belly up. Council cannot control this of course. What they could have controlled is the way the zones were drawn up and put into place. The way it was all done shows exactly how much regard and concern councillors and the administration have for residents – a grand total of zero.
October 7, 2014 at 4:41 PM
In other words, no change in the concern and regards departments.
The zones were supposedly a direct and neutral translation of the Housing Diversity/Minimal Change Policy implemented in 2002 (based on even older population data).
A direct and neutral change shows just how much thought and effort Council put into analysing a decades worth of developmental and demographic change. Not to mention reviewing and defining the content of the new zones and their related schedules which gave Council far greater control over development than it had before.
October 7, 2014 at 4:01 PM
It’s been the same around stations and shopping strips for years. Why the big uproar now. At least you now have height limits. Stop your whining.
October 7, 2014 at 4:37 PM
The “uproar” as you call it is because people weren’t told anything or asked what they thoought. It also depends on your interpretation of what “around railways” means – 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres? People have got every damn right to complain or “whine” when large areas are suddenly told that they should expect four storey places go up next to them and all neighbourhood character and amenity destroyed. As long as council keeps plugging its bullshit about being transparent and accountable then the more “whining” the better.
October 8, 2014 at 9:18 AM
“Suddenly told that they should expect four storey places go up next to them” It’s been like this for the past 14 years!!!
October 7, 2014 at 6:04 PM
Anyone that bought along a tramline or anywhere near a rail station in the past 15 years should have checked the GEPS before buying. The town hall were drawing lines on maps in 1999. No surprises here. Some older people are pleased as they are looking forward to a nice retirement. Living in a house with a backyard within short walking distance to the shops and railway station is a thing of the past. Too many people to house. Some people remember market gardens in East Bentleigh. They usually call it progress.
October 7, 2014 at 6:53 PM
Agreed that there are more people and they need to be housed. That puts the onus on council to try and cater as best they can for any increase in population. They have been a spectacular failure on this. Drawing lines on a map as you said 15 years ago is not good enough. That is the easy bit. The hard bits are thinking about infrastructure, car parking, size of apartments, environmental sustainability – all these things should be part of the planning scheme and they are not. Council has been content to sit back, blame vcat for their own failings, and to do absolutely nothing.
Other councils on the other hand have had, and still have:
1. structure plans
2. Parking precinct plans
3. WSUD provisions in their planning schemes
4. Even the attempt (Moreland) to introduce size, sunlight standards into their planning scheme.
And even when one locates all the motherhood statements in the current planning scheme and the suggested ‘guidelines’, council fails to administer its own standards – ie visitor car parking, permeability and countless other things.
Council has consistently refused to introduce any measure which might, just might, limit the developer’s profits. That is the bottom line, and we repeat, this is a pro-development council and is thus reinforced by the new zones.
October 7, 2014 at 9:29 PM
Well said. There’s lots they could have done over the years but they’ve done bugger all and now everyone is paying for it.
October 8, 2014 at 6:43 AM
And will continue to pay for until they introduce structure plans, overlays, statements of character. Sure these will take time and we will have to live with the results that have occurred and will occur until these are introduced. But it is doable and possible, the planning implements are there – the only thing that are missing is the will of the administration and Councillors not relying on the Administration’s skewed view..
October 8, 2014 at 8:27 AM
Number 4 – Hyams – Was he not the Mayor who will go down in history for messing up the streets in Glen Eira? Next move State M.P?