The trend continues with this council in that it fulfills the legal requirements on notification/advertising of proposed amendments, but these announcements are anything but informative. Nor do they help to provide an accurate picture of what is proposed. For those residents who really want to know something, they are forced to plough through literally thousands of pages of documents in order to get anywhere close to an true picture of intent.
Council’s latest example of providing residents with the truth comes with this from the September issue of the Glen Eira News.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? It’s what residents aren’t told that could influence whether or not they bother to put in a formal submission, and of course, whether they have the time to read the documents.
Completely missing in the above is:
- Any mention of the number of proposed dwellings (ie 3000 at this stage)
- Any mention of the proposed (discretionary) heights of up to 8 storeys
- Any mention of parking/traffic?
- Any mention of the paltry proposed open space levy, etc. etc.
Whilst other councils go to great lengths to provide some decent information when amendments are on the table, Glen Eira insists on using the planning jargon so that it becomes incomprehensible to most residents. For example: what is a CDZ? what is Clause 21.03 etc.?Where is there any ‘fact sheet’ that residents can look at and immediately see the import of what is proposed?
Here are some examples of how other councils go about informing residents. Please note: we do not endorse anything that these councils are proposing to implement. We are simply focusing on how much time and effort they put into their dissemination of relevant and clear information.
Yarra is our first example. Please check out this link and view the modelling provided. At the very least, residents can get some idea of heights, impacts, overshadowing, etc. https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/the-area/planning-for-yarras-future/yarra-planning-scheme-and-amendments/current-amendments/amendment-c231-queens-parade
Next example is from Greater Dandenong. Here is part of their ‘facts’ brochure (can be accessed in full here https://cgdresources.mmgsolutions.net/Resources/Website/SiteDocuments/Amendment%20C213%20Fact%20Sheet%20and%20FAQs%20Exhibition.pdf ).
All in plain, simple language understandable by all.
There are plenty of other examples we could have included in this post. We have refrained!
Until residents are seen as having a real voice in determining outcomes in Glen Eira, this agenda of keeping us ‘ignorant’ and irrelevant will continue.
Glen Eira Debates 
September 8, 2019 at 4:12 PM
Historically, council’s approach to consultation has never been good. Officer reports are consistently lacking objectivity and councillors fall at the first hurdle in terms of questioning and seeking definitive, unequivocal answers. As stated in some of these posts numerous times, it is doubtful that too many, if any, of these councillors even bother to read what is put out. They are content to rely on the verbal assurances of the administration. That does not equate with doing their jobs I suggest.
September 8, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Dead right you are, the quality of the process/es we experience is a reflection of the overall poor quality of our councillors, who simply do not insist on anything better. Why they don’t is a ongoing mystery to me, what hidden agendas and undertows they run is also a unknown. Sadly in this void ones imagination can plug the gaps left by their absence. One thing they do prove time and time again is they do not act on behalf of the wider community, so who do they represent?
September 9, 2019 at 2:30 PM
Only 2 councillors have ever stood up for residents. They got bullied and persecuted.
September 10, 2019 at 1:14 PM
And Council spent ~$500K of our money to do so.