Ed Booth’s appeal for ‘actions not words’ is lost on Magee and his fellow non-representatives of the community. Instead there is the usual spin, mistruths, and pure bunkum. Perhaps if neighbourhood character was so important to Magee and this council, we may have had ‘preferred neighbourhood character’ statements in the planning scheme for housing diversity. They don’t exist, which results in the following images for Vickery Street, Bentleigh. A four storey monster containing 47 dog boxes is set to replace Californian bungalows. Yes indeed, Council really cares about neighbourhood character, and how street after street is being destroyed!
Glen Eira Debates 
November 18, 2015 at 10:28 AM
I could weep at all the beautiful homes being lost. Mavho is gone so Vickery is next in line followed by other neighbouring streets. It is a tragedy that will never be remedied under this administration and its impotent and non caring councillors.
November 18, 2015 at 2:25 PM
I just read the Leader, Pilling is a totally deluded man, or is he thinking of re election any nonsense will do?
November 18, 2015 at 2:44 PM
Response is from Magee
November 18, 2015 at 3:12 PM
Jim Magee is just spruiking Hyams’s line – nothing new there. The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of high density dwellings that once the zones were implemented immediately applied for an amended planning permit for an additional storey. I’d say that’s conclusive proof right there.
Additionally, Glen Eira, unlike other Council’s never did proper planning, ie undertake Structure Planning for the various centres and apply Design Development and Neighbourhood Character Overlays (DDO’s and NCO’s) to the centres. Thus instead of creating a robust planning scheme with defined height limits and various character impacts prior to the zone implementation Glen Eira relied on discretionary policies and developers had a field day at VCAT. Now the zones have put in place height limits (Glen Eira took the path of least resistance and opted for the maximum) but Glen Eira still lacks the DDO’s and NCO’s so developers are still having a field day. Who can blame them,. the structure plans DDO’s and NCO’s in surrounding Port Phillip, Stonnington and Monash impose limitations beyond those of just height. Hence Glen Eira is a plum ripe for the picking nd that’s exactly what they are doing – all they have to comply with is height limits, all the rest is fair game..
Oh and will someone tell Mug Magee that there is more to planning that just height limits.
November 18, 2015 at 6:24 PM
Mr Magoo does it again
November 18, 2015 at 8:14 PM
Jim should realise that no matter how many time he, or any other Councillor, says it the residents are not buying it and constant repetition doesn’t alter the facts.
Rather than allowing the Administration to spend $14,300 to provide information freely available to anyone, then doctoring into it to support their view and adding absolute crap about how helpless Council is in fixing the mess they created perhaps he should ponder what representation means.
Representation does not mean
1. mindlessly repeating unsubstantiated soundbites
2. Ignoring the residents and denying them input into major decisions (eg. Zones Implementation).
3. the Administration can distribute their views to residents without prior approval by Councillors
4. that Councillors are the buffer between Residents and the Administration
5. that since construction is “temporary” Council need to nothing re public safety around building sites
November 18, 2015 at 8:47 PM
Magee’s letter and the numerous other public announcements by councillors and council need to be seriously questioned. Glen Eira is not averse to changing definitions as they go along – and without defining precisely what they mean. Magee writes that “78% of our residential streets” is “protected” via the neighbourhood residential zone category. I don’t know what qualifies as a “residential street” when previously the statement was that 78% of all of Glen Eira comes under the neighbourhood residential zone. The 11 cents letter to residents included the phrase “all residentially zoned land”. This is a far cry from saying that 78% of Glen Eira’s entire area is zoned as neighborhood residential.
I don’t think that this is a case of semantics. I think it is deliberate. With no definitions of what all these terms mean, then council can get away with stating whatever they like and 78% sounds a lot better than whatever the truth may be.
November 19, 2015 at 8:33 AM
The truth is that less than 70% of the municipality is zoned NRZ. Despite knowing this, Council has permitted Southwick to mislead Parliament, and similarly misled Michael Deidun [VCAT Member]. It continues to publish the fiction that 78% of the municipality has a two storey maximum. Even NRZ isn’t really safe: there are many exemptions, including for non-residential purposes. Currently a massive 5-storey development is being built in NRZ in Glen Eira. I’m staggered at how little regard our councillors have for their Code of Conduct.
November 20, 2015 at 8:58 AM
As an extension of this discussion, a nine storey development is proposed for a commercial zone at 322 Centre Road, Bentleigh (near Mahvo Street). This will be a precedent case for future commercial zone developments on Centre Road, McKinnon Road and Brewer Road (designated as urban villages!!). There is a Council Planning Conference at 6.30pm on MONDAY 23rd NOVEMBER at the Glen Eira Council Auditorium to discuss this development. Good attendance is expected, please attend to support. As no height restrictions exist for commercial zone developments, anything could happen if this proceeds. PLEASE ATTEND AND PROMOTE TO OTHERS
November 20, 2015 at 10:09 PM
We are first home buyers living on Vickery street, directly opposite this new monster. We are devastated. The homes they tearing down are beautiful. We will be at the meeting on Monday to show our support.