The lack of public open space in Glen Eira has been known for decades. It was acknowledged in 1987, again in the open space strategy of the nineties and once more in 2013. Residents were lead to believe in the 1996 strategy that 50% of revenue raised would be used to purchase NEW open space. In 2013/14 ratepayers were promised even more (via council resolutions) – ie that all monies raised from the levy would be put towards the purchase of NEW open space and not used for ‘development’ of existing open space. Thus twice residents have been dudded and promises literally thrown out the window.
Council’s record on dealing with this issue is appalling. Monies have been frittered away on lawyers, pavilion developments that come in double the original monetary proposals, always late, and inevitably turn parks into more concrete and parking at more expense. Even when council had the opportunity to purchase land they removed the public acquisition overlay on Magnolia Road Gardenvale only to re-impose it 8 years later and pay the then current market price! Their largesse to the MRC has thus far garnered a paltry $575,000 for 463 units on over a hectare of land which at today’s prices will not even buy half a suburban block!
The result? Instead of increasing public open space through proper planning and budgeting, residents are now bequeathed less public open space per individual given the population increase. To add insult to injury there is now the Request for a Report to consider whether council should be seeking a higher levy when objectors argued this point years ago. When other councils can exact levies of 8% and even more for some of their areas, this council has always been unwilling to impose anything that may be seen as an impediment to more and more development. Present and future residents are ultimately paying the cost for such generosity.
Glen Eira Debates 
May 25, 2016 at 11:05 AM
When you put all your eggs into the one basket of gesac there’s no money left over for anything except lawyers and more staff and monuments to some people’s egos.
May 25, 2016 at 11:50 AM
Heard it all before. The only thing that happens is a Council Election. The day after the elections (ie. 23/10/2016) this will be filed away in the “Do not open till the 2020 Council Election” folder.
And the next 4 years will see zero Council purchases of Open Space. But looking on the bright side, we will see a coffee shop (and carpark) where the historic Caulfield Park Conservatory once stood and loads more concrete plinths and paving, pavilions rebuilt and car parks enlarged in existing parkland. Any dollars left over will be directed to the resurfacing sports grounds and re doing the Jersey Parade forecourt.
May 25, 2016 at 11:53 AM
Don’t tell me, let me guess, IT’S AN ELECTION YEAR!!!!!!
May 25, 2016 at 2:43 PM
but you forget the sportsgrounds in the racecourse. Notice MRC is spending lots of money building country fence style railings that tower over the green fence in Queens Avenue
May 25, 2016 at 5:26 PM
They’ve flogged more than bought.
May 26, 2016 at 6:10 AM
OK, I accept that it is difficult to plan to purchase additional open space when you have no idea when you have no idea when on opportunity to purchase open space will become available.
That’s why Council has reserves and that’s why Council voted to hold all open space levy revenue (paid by developers) in reserve to acquire and rehabilitate new open space some several years ago.
So I’m wondering why no mention of the current value of reserve (gotta be about $5m) so that Council can take advantage of unexpected opportunities.
May 26, 2016 at 11:34 AM
Cr Delahunty when supporting the “new” open space strategy argued that Council should only be judged at the end of 15 years. The implication was that we shouldn’t expect any progress towards goals in the interim. It’s all very similar to the 1998 strategy that was such a failure. Outlined the problem that open space was not well-distributed but then made the problem worse. Carnegie activity centre used to have some pleasant public open space, but that was bulldozed and concreted and asphalted over. The areas that Council are targetting for high-density housing are the areas most in need of close convenient safe public open space to compensate for lack of private open space.