Caulfield Racecourse/C60

Archived Posts from this Category

July 5, 2011

Glen Eira Does Not Rate

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60, GE Governance, GE Service Performance
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From today’s Caulfield Leader.  Stories by Jenny Ling –

GLEN Eira Council has ranked lower than its fellow city councils in the latest Local Government Victoria survey. The 2011 community satisfaction survey asked 28,000 residents across 77 councils to rate their council’s performance. The data showed that though Glen Eira rated higher or similar to all Victorian councils in overall performance, advocacy, community engagement and customer contact, it didn’t fare so well compared with its fellow metropolitan councils.

Glen Eira achieved a score of 69 per cent for overall performance. The average for metropolitan councils — Baysid e ,Yarra, Stonnington, Kingston, Melbourne, Monash, Port Phillip, Moreland, Boorondara, Darebin, Hobsons Bay, Maroondah, Moonee Valley, Banyule, Whitehorse and Glen Eira – was 85 per cent. For advocacy, which covers the representation of the community’s interests, Glen Eira rated 64 per cent compared with the Melbourne average of 77 per cent. Glen Eira rated 62 per cent for community engagement compared to t he metropolitan councils’ 71 per cent average, while local customer contact was 77 per cent compared with 80 per cent.

Glen Eira Residents Association president Don Dunstan said there needed to be more transparency and open governance in Glen Eira. ‘‘The core problem is the way council meetings are run,’’ Mr Dunstan said. Glen Eira Mayor Margaret Esakoff said ‘‘given the survey was taken at the same time as severe flooding (February) and the bin downsizing, it is a good outcome for Glen Eira’’.  

Victorian Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell urged councils to analyse the ratings to see where improvements were needed.

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Libs on back foot

THE Liberal Party has backflipped on the contentious $1 billion Caulfield Village development faster than a Bart Cummings champion. Planning Minister Matthew Guy and Caulfield MP David Southwick applauded the project which will attract 2000 residents and create 35,000sq m of office and retail space on 5ha around the racecourse when they announced its approval on Tuesday.

In October, Mr Southwick said it would cause traffic congestion, anti-social behaviour and parking problems, and pledged to stop the ‘‘ monstrosity’’ that would ‘‘ destroy Caulfield’s amenities and identity’’ with a postcard petition to households in the electorate. Mr Guy, then Opposition planning spokesman, echoed Mr Southwick’s pledge. Mr Southwick said there were several concerns which he ‘‘made very clear’’. ‘‘It was important for me to be on the front foot and be involved in negotiations with Glen Eira (council) and residents,’’ he said. ‘‘The main issue I had was open space . . . being able to get a win for the city.’’

Glen Eira Council approved the plans with height restrictions in April, capping buildings in the Smith St precinct at 20 storeys. Mayor Margaret Esakoff said Caulfield Village would provide the community with a range of housing options close to transport and facilities. ‘‘The wider community will also be able to enjoy the improved open space and recreational areas in the centre of the racecourse,’’ she said.

Glen Eira Residents’ Association president Don Dunstan said there was no provision for carparking and no amenities being provided for the thousands of people who will live there. ‘‘And this is the right thing for a suburb? I don’t think so,’’ he said.

COMMENT: This is now the second time that The Leader  has taken a pot shot at Southwick. Whilst his backflip is undeniable, and the criticism is justified, good balanced reporting might also have commented on the role played by this council and its ‘gang of four’. We suggest that if all the facts are being presented then Lipshutz, Esakoff, Hyams and Pilling should also come in for their equal share of criticism!

 

July 4, 2011

Bayside Weekly

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60
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BY REBECCA THISTLETON

Residents fear village will cut public space

CAULFIELD residents fear a $1 billion development at Caulfield Racecourse will reduce open space. Community group, Supporters of Caulfield Reserve, claim the public has been ‘‘locked out’’ of the decision to build the Caulfield Village.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy signed off on the project last week. Melbourne Racing Club will build the village on a five-hectare site currently used as a car park off Normanby Road, near Caulfield station. The development will include a 20-storey building with office space, 70 homes along Heywood Street and up to 200 retirement dwellings. A planned public park on the racecourse will include a children’s play area, shade areas and toilets, as well as a boardwalk around the lake with fishing areas.

The project will take seven to 10 years to complete and Mr Guy said it will generate 4800 jobs during construction and 1100 jobs when completed.

Supporters of Caulfield Reserve spokeswoman Roslyn Gold said she kept a close watch on the proposal because public space was under threat. Ms Gold said plans presented to the public seemed to be a ‘‘done deal’’ between the club and council.

Caulfield MLA David Southwick said he knew open space was a concern to residents but that the proposed development would make better use of land and park space.

Melbourne Racing Club development and strategic planning manager Brian Discombe rejected Ms Gold’s concerns. ‘‘The process to date has been vigorous, open and transparent and the club is committed to keeping the community informed,’’ he said.

Glen Eira Council community relations director Paul Burke said councillors made decisions in open meetings of council or the Caulfield Racecourse Precinct Special Committee. ‘‘Any substantive decision that the council may make as a result of any meeting is only taken in the council chamber,’’ he said.

 

 

June 29, 2011

C60: Hansard

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60
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Highlights from both the Legislative Assembly & Legislative Council

Planning: Caulfield Racecourse

Mr
SOUTHWICK (Caulfield)
— This morning I had the pleasure of joining the Minister for Planning, the Honourable Matthew Guy, in my electorate to announce the approval of a planning scheme amendment that will allow for a $1 billion development near the Caulfield Racecourse. As part of this development Caulfield residents will see an improvement in the quality of open space facilities for the community. I am pleased this agreement that I helped facilitate between the Glen Eira City Council and the Melbourne Racing Club has led to such a wonderful result. Facilities for the community to enjoy will include a picnic area by the lake, a large off-leash dog area, walking and jogging paths and a junior soccer pitch. I look forward to continuing to engage with the community on ways to utilise this fantastic facility.

Planning: Caulfield Village

Mrs COOTE (Southern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy. Can the minister inform the house what action he has taken to assist the planned development around Caulfield Racecourse and around community involvement in this planned development?

Hon. M. J. GUY (Minister for Planning) — I thank Mrs Coote for her outstanding question and for her outstanding work in facilitating what is a terrific outcome for the community in Caulfield. The work done by Mrs Coote, Ms Crozier and the member for Caulfield in the Assembly, David Southwick, has been outstanding. The work they have put in as local MPs is unique.

Mr Lenders — What about Mr Davis?

Hon. M. J. GUY — Mr Lenders, I could also talk about Mr Davis and the work he has done. In the health portfolio he has been cleaning up 11 years of mess left by you. Mr Davis, as the Leader of the Government in this chamber, is trying to clean up $2 million a day worth of financial mismanagement from the desal contracts, which you signed with your mate Tim Holding.

That aside, it was terrific to be part of the Glen Eira planning scheme amendment C60, which will facilitate Melbourne is to have urban renewal, this is the place to have it — around a railway, an activities area and existing facilities where new child care and sporting facilities and open space can be built into this outstanding development.It should also be remembered that in the previous Parliament the public land committee, which was chaired by Mr Davis, also met to hear issues in relation to Caulfield and public space, and I can report to this chamber with pleasure that the C60 amendment will, for the first time, pick up the recommendations of the committee’s report. The C60 amendment will pick up those recommendations thanks to the work done by Ms Crozier, Mrs Coote and Mr Southwick to ensure that the central part of the racecourse will be used as public open space, which is a far cry from what we saw under the previous dark decade of former planning minister Justin Madden and former Premier John Brumby.

Mr Finn interjected.

Hon. M. J. GUY — Mr Finn, as he knows about open space issues, would also be interested in the fact that the C60 amendment — and the figure 60 is just two digits away from the Prime Minister’s disapproval rating of 62 — which former Labor member Evan Thornley was in favour of, puts in place, as Mr Davis said, the results of a lot of work by the racing club and by the council, which should be congratulated for the work it has done. The council presented a planning scheme amendment to the state government, and there has been a truly collaborative approach between the government and the council. A ‘collaborative approach’; don’t you love that word? Labor Party members love it. It gets their little left-wing juices running. There has been a cooperative approach between the state government; the local government; our local members of Parliament, who have worked so hard on this; the public land inquiry, which reported on the necessity for open space; and the racing club, which has put forward a proposal and had it accepted and presented to the state government with the support of Glen Eira City Council. Congratulations to all involved.

AND TODAY’S ‘AGE’

Caulfield development off and  racing

  Miki Perkins

June 29, 2011

A residential development at Caufield racetrack has been approved. THE Baillieu government has approved one of Melbourne’s largest inner-city  residential developments at the historic Caulfield racetrack, leaving some  residents ”bitterly disappointed” and warning of an infrastructure meltdown.

Plans reveal the  $1 billion development at the racecourse will include 1200  apartments as well as office and commercial space, with buildings ranging from  two to 20 storeys. Flemington and Moonee Valley racecourses are also working on major  residential plans.

The Melbourne Racing Club said yesterday the centre of the existing track  would be turned into a publicly accessible park with a lake ringed by a  boardwalk and fishing spots. The club says the new development –  dubbed  ”Caulfield Village” – will  offer a range of housing to young families just seven kilometres from the city  centre. But Planning Minister Matthew Guy said yesterday the amount of social  housing was yet to be ”factored in”.

”We don’t mandate social housing policies in Victoria; we are currently  working on some strategies but it will not involve mandation,” Mr Guy said.

The development has been dogged by controversy, with local councillors Frank  Penhalluriack and Sheryl Forge opposed to elements of the plan. Glen Eira City Council mayor Margaret Esakoff said yesterday she had a  ”humungous” council meeting to prepare for and did not have time to respond to  news of the minister’s approval. 

Mr Guy said the decision to proceed with the development had been made solely  by the council before it was handed to the government. ”There was no heavy-handedness, there was no need for any of that when the  council themselves have been a terrific, proactive part of this solution.”

A spokesman for the resident lobby  group  the Malvern East Group, Mathew  Knight, said infrastructure would struggle to cope. Drainage problems at two   underpasses would get worse. ”The traffic is going to be horrifying and getting on a peak-hour train at  Caulfield is going to be a problem –  it’s already a nightmare,” he  said.    ”We’re bitterly disappointed.”

Local member Liberal MP David Southwick said concerns about public access to  the racetrack had been resolved with the inclusion of new features like a  jogging track and soccer pitch. The racing club has not sold the land but will become either a landlord or  partner in developing the land.

 

June 28, 2011

Minister Guy Rubber Stamps C60

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60
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Matthew Guy has this afternoon announced the formal rubberstamping of the C60 Amendment. Interviewed by Steve Vizard these were some of this comments –

The C60 is a “billion dollar development, planned for 5 years, right next door to a railway station….one tower (only) which will …only shadow the racecourse itself…large development in an area where it should be….

Guy also spoke about the centre of the racecourse claiming that this decision will “ensure that open space and centre of racecourse can be used, (the) centre will now be opened up,… we are now going to open up centre of land for parkland and open space which can only be good for the people of Caulfield…..”

As to the land swap with the MRC, Guy stated that the MRC were “taking a large amount of risk” in their investment. That they would “be opening up the centre of that track….a very important win for the community….we are addng a very large area in the centre of the track….a good outcome for the community”.

Also interviewed was Mr. Don Dunstan, President of the Glen Eira Residents’ Association. Mr Dunstan highlighted:

  • the granting of Crown Land for private interests
  • the undemocratic processes involved where only 4 individuals decided the fate of the C60
  • the implications for other areas and for the people of Victoria

 

 

June 23, 2011

Here Comes The Circus!!!!!!

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60
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Several of our readers have alerted us to the fact that the Caulfield Racecourse will now be the venue for just on a month long stretch of Silvers Circus performances. Looking at their website many of the dates include both matinees and evening shows. The seating for each show, according to booking diagrams, holds close to 800 people. It further looks like this will take place on the Guinea’s Car Park which is Crown Land.

Important questions arise out of this little arrangement – some of which have already been pointed out by our readers –

  • Did council and/or councillors know about this?
  • Did the Planning Department issue a permit for the advertising signs?
  • What consideration was given to the potential impact of noise, and events of this magnitude finishing at 10pm on local amenities?
  • What has happened to the so called ‘agreement’ that only 10 days of special events were to take place?
  • When does this ‘agreement’ actually come into operation? Or will Council and the MRC argue that it has not as yet ‘started’?

 

 

 

June 23, 2011

C60 & ‘Affordable Housing’?

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60, GE Planning
[16] Comments 

The following article from the Australian Jewish News is fascinating – especially in light of the fact that Glen Eira Council has no official policy on ‘affordable housing’!

Racecourse land presents housing chance

MAY 13, 2011

AN unprecedented large parcel of land has been opened for development in an area sure to attract Jewish families. While homeowners in Jewish Melbourne are sitting on veritable gold mines, those looking to enter the housing market in suburbs such as Caulfield North or Caulfield South, or St Kilda East are facing a hefty battle.

But with Glen Eira Council’s decision two weeks ago to rezone carparks owned by the Melbourne Racing Club, there is potential for new, affordable housing close to Jewish community infrastructure.

While the Melbourne Racing Club did not return The AJN’s calls, the council confirmed it had approved a substantial amount of the club’s existing space for residential use. Councillor Jamie Hyams said he supported appropriate development. “One of the council’s policies is to encourage diversity of housing to cater for different accommodation needs throughout the community,” he said.

According to preliminary plans submitted by the racecourse management to council, the land will eventually include up to 1200 dwellings – or accommodate 4000 new residents – in apartments and individual houses. The residential area, it is proposed, would blend into the existing neighbourhoods on Kambrook Road, Caulfield North. There are also plans to include shops, a new supermarket, green spaces and offices on the site.

While the first sod will not be turned for many months, perhaps even years, Jewish community figures are supportive of the plan to increase the supply of housing in Caulfield.

Local Member David Southwick, himself a young father, said the cost and availability of residential property is a problem across the whole state. “Young members of the Jewish community have expressed a keen desire to live in Caulfield, but face the issues of housing shortages and affordability,” he said.

The Caulfield MP noted he would keenly monitor development. “My view is that more sensible development is needed because our community wishes to live around the schools, shuls and communal facilities in Caulfield,” he said.

“The proposed racecourse development provides an opportunity for more affordable housing options in Caulfield, but it is important that any affordable housing be integrated into the rest of the development.”

According to figures collected by Jewish Care, proximity to kosher shops, synagogues and Jewish schools is a priority for Jewish househunters – with 97 per cent of those seeking housing assistance from the social welfare organisation looking to stay close to the Jewish community.

Worryingly, in 2008-09 – the most recent figures available – Jewish Care received a 25 per cent increase in requests for housing assistance. And it is not surprising. According to Australian Property Monitors, the median house price in Caulfield North is $1.28 million; a unit will set you back, on average, $530,000.

Down the road in St Kilda East, $931,000 is the median house price and you will just get change from half a million dollars for a unit.

Caulfield South is the most affordable of the “typically Jewish” suburbs; there the median house price is $912,000. Jewish Community Council of Victoria president John Searle welcomed Glen Eira Council’s decision to rezone some of the vacant
land for residential use.

“But for the cost of a home in Caulfield, many more young families would choose to live in the heart of our community close to shuls, schools, kosher restaurants, families and friends,” Searle said, adding that the rezoning could represent an opportunity for more families to get a start in Caulfield. “The rezoning may certainly represent an exciting possibility for some enterprising developers to provide affordable housing for members of our community.”

NAOMI LEVIN

 

June 9, 2011

Heritage: What’s Going On?

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60, GE Planning
[5] Comments 

A very alert reader has just sent us the following –

Property Review Weekly June 10, 2011 page 20


Extract from C60 Planning Panel Report – July, 2010

Page 25, Section 3.2.2 – Overlays 

“ Two sites near the amendment land are affected by Heritage Overlays. These are No 1 Bond Street and the Caulfield Station.”

Page 131, Section 14.2 – Heritage – Evidence and Discussion

“ 1 Bond Street is a single fronted late Victorian Villa with substantial timber stables located at the rear. The house was built in 1887 and named ‘Grace Darling’ in 1910 after the winner of the 1885 Caulfield Cup. The property ‘Grace Darling’ is considered in the Caulfield Conservation Study to be of regional importance for its stables and pitched laneway;

Caulfield Railway Station Complex was constructed in 1913‐14. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as a complex of architectural and aesthetic importance as an imposing Federation Free Style complex. The Victorian Heritage Register notes that the retention of the original station detail provides insights into social attitudes and railway practices immediately preceding the First World War and during a boom period in the history of Caulfield.”

 

June 6, 2011

The HeraldSun,C60 & ‘Inappropriate Development’

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60
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Sunday’s Herald Sun featured a two page spread on the C60 development. Below are edited highlights from the story. Author –  Graeme Hammond.

“For Mr Curry and his partner, it (housing developments) will mean vacant land behind their house – cleared of homes more than 10 years ago after they were bought by the racing club – will be occupied by 270 new properties, including six-storey residential blocks. There are still no drawings of how the neighbourhood skyline will change, but he can guess.

“This development will put 2500 people at my back door,” Mr Currey said. “it’s an incredibly intense concentration of retail, commercial and residential building and I’ll look out the back and see every one of them.”

He said the centre would dramatically increase traffic congestion in Kambrook Rd and the surrounding streets.

“The beauty of this area is that within 15 minutes’ drive we have Chadstone Shopping Centre, St Kilda, Glen Huntly Rd and Glenferrie Rd,” Mr Curry said. “The area is already well catered for by retail. We don’t need this. It is physically and visually wrong here. I’m not against development, but it has to be reasonable and practical. With every decision our council makes, they show they do not listen to residents and don’t care. We voted them in, but they are not representing us.”

 +++++++++++++++++

“What’s good enough for the Meblourne Racing Club should be good enough for everyone, budding entrepreneur Noam Rosen says. Mr Rosen supports high-rise development in suburban areas and considers the Caulfield area as ideally placed to become a residential and business hub, capable of housing many more people. But he said: “If I wanted to demolish this house and build a six-storey complex I think I’d be knocked back Why did the Melbourne Racing Club get approval? There should be a level playing field so everyone has the chance to do sensible property development”.

+++++++

She (Mary Healy) said the (MRC) plans bore little resemblance to the original 1996 concept of Caulfield Village. “It just keeps growing. We’ll have another 10,000 people working and shopping here, but they’re providing only 2000 parking spotes,” she said. Mrs Healy said Camden ward residents had elected councillors opposed to the project, but Glen Eira council had ignored their views and few councillors had attended a state planning panel’s six-day set of hearings. “It’s one of the biggest planning decision ever made in the state, but they showed no interest,” she said. “They have effectively disenfranchised the voters.” 

PS: A copy of the article has been uploaded HERE

 

May 25, 2011

Guy vs Mayor

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60, GE Planning
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A glimpse into the future for the C60?

Minister ignored advice on  tower

 Reid Sexton

May 25, 2011

Artist's impression of the new tower.

PLANNING Minister Matthew Guy ignored the advice of independent consultants  commissioned by the Department of Planning when he approved a 25-storey tower in  Footscray this week, with the development more than double the recommended  height.

The 80-metre, $90 million development on Moreland Street will dominate the  skyline of Melbourne’s inner-west when it is completed in 2013.

The Age revealed yesterday that the announcement had triggered a  bitter stoush between Mr Guy and local ALP mayor Sarah Carter, who said  Maribyrnong Council had not been consulted on the decision. She said Footscray’s infrastructure would struggle to cope with the people  who moved into the tower’s 222 apartments and flocked to its shops.

Mr Guy denied the claim, suggesting yesterday that Ms Carter may be taking  the stand to further her political career.

But a report written by urban designers SJB Urban in June last year and  commissioned by the Department of Planning and Community Development said ”the  maximum number of storeys, regardless of land use or building configuration”  should be 12 storeys on the site.

It based this recommendation on previous reports into the former industrial  area, which settled on the  12-storey limit based on transport, landscape and  economic considerations, among others.

Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said yesterday Mr Guy had ignored the  community, council and important advice paid for by the department. ”People  have to ask: who does this man listen to?” he said.

But Mr Guy said last night that the report was commissioned by the previous  government and was intended to provide advice only.

He said the large-scale development was necessary to cope with Melbourne’s  soaring population and would rejuvenate the former industrial area. ”The  Planning Minister is the responsible authority for this area and the development  fits with the provisions of the vision for the [area],” he  said.

ALSO FROM TODAY’S AGE

The Baillieu government has approved a 25-storey apartment tower in Melbourne’s inner-west, sparking a furious reaction from a mayor who warns it will ruin the local amenity.                       

The 80-metre, $90 million tower in Moreland Street, Footscray, will be  more than double the height guidelines for the area, says Maribyrnong  mayor Sarah Carter. It will contain 222 apartments and dominate the local skyline. It is  believed that building will start this year and be completed by 2013.

It has sparked a war of words between Ms Carter and Planning Minister Matthew Guy.

Ms Carter, an ALP member, said Maribyrnong council’s local planning  scheme recommended height limits of no more than 12 storeys because of  community concern. She said the tower would be the tallest in Footscray and would create an eyesore. Footscray would not have the transport services to support the people  the tower would bring and council would have to spend about $25 million  on pedestrian bridges, road and footpaths to cope.

The biggest shock was Mr Guy’s decision to go public without consulting the council. She said he had never indicated he was about to approve the tower despite his assurances he wanted to work with council. “He expressed he wanted to have an open dialogue with council [and] that  he wanted to work with us to get the best outcomes,” she said. “He’s indicated that’s what he was prepared to do [and] now he’s backflipped completely.”

Mr Guy said last night the council was consulted throughout planning and  that a big development was a necessary response to Melbourne’s  population growth. He said it was misleading to claim the tower would cost council millions  of dollars and he was shocked Ms Carter would reject a housing  development in an area with numerous transport options.

“I met with the mayor last week where we discussed the need for  large-scale development in [areas] such as Footscray,” he said. “At no  stage did she offer any objection to these comments [or] bother to raise  the issue of this Footscray development.

“I have never met the mayor prior to this meeting, thus her comments of me providing an undertaking to her are false.”

Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said: “If the Baillieu  government rides roughshod over Footscray then no community is safe.”

Planning Institute of Australia (Victoria) and Urban Development  Institute of Australia (Victoria) chief Tony De Domenico said the tower  would provide cheap housing near public transport

 

May 23, 2011

More Burke Spin

Posted by gleneira under Caulfield Racecourse/C60, GE Consultation/Communication
[8] Comments 

From today’s Melbourne Bayside Weekly

BY REBECCA THISTLETON

GLEN Eira residents want a plan that covers the entire Caulfield Racecourse precinct after two proposals were approved separately.

Residents were unhappy with recent council decisions regarding the racecourse and said plans were made without adequate consultation and transparency.

The council recently released a joint statement with Melbourne Racing Club increasing public access to the middle of the racecourse. A separate decision to rezone land outside the racecourse for priority development has also been made.

Supporters of Caulfield Reserve member, Roslyn Gold, said residents were worried the council may be powerless against the Melbourne Racing Club. Ms Gold said the two plans should not be developed in isolation because they would be disconnected from the broader Caulfield area.

According to Glen Eira Council’s minutes, ‘‘council has no more control over the racecourse than it does over the average residential property’’ because parts of the racecourse are Crown land.

Ms Gold said the council should have a planning guideline that included the racecourse, Monash University’s Caulfield campus and Caulfield station to ensure decisions were made with residents in mind.

She said the existing plans were poorly advertised and residents were now realising the implications.

Glen Eira Council community relations director Paul Burke said the council was asked to consider matters relating to the Caulfield Racecourse, not the university or Caulfield station, at the recent meeting.

The plans were discussed at a public meeting of the Caulfield Racecourse Precinct Special Committee, he said.

‘‘Very few members of the public turned up, which would indicate that the level of objection was very low,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t know how much more transparent you can be (than) by dealing with it in a public meeting.’’  

 

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