February 23, 2016
Whilst Glen Eira is content to spend thousands on its notorious ’11 cent flyer’ of misinformation and outright deceit, thankfully other councils are not cut from the same cloth. Below is the latest Boroondara effort – a letter sent to all residents regarding planning and asking for initial feedback.
February 22, 2016
February 22, 2016 9:00am
STATE Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has urged the State Government to work with him to “save Melbourne’s Riviera” from sky trains.
With decisions on the southern part of the Frankston rail corridor yet to be made, Mr Guy said he was “prepared to work with the government” to raise enough money via new Port of Melbourne legislation to run trains underground.
Mr Guy said talk of underground tunnelling difficulties caused by a high water table in the beachside areas was “not an excuse at all.”
“If you can put a man on the moon, you can dip a level crossing on the Frankston line,” he said.
“When they were building the CityLink tunnels, that was in one of the most geologically unsound areas in Melbourne — and yet we have two enormous tunnels which operate just fine and have for the last 15 years.
“There are absolutely no engineering studies that say it is utterly infeasible to do that.”
There are eight level crossings between Cheltenham and Frankston listed for removal, with work due to get underway in 2018.
Shadow Planning Minister David Davis joined Mr Guy at Edithvale Station last week, along with South Eastern Metropolitan Region MP Inga Peulich, Kingston Central Ward councillor Geoff Gledhill and concerned community members, to discuss the crossing removals.
Mr Guy said the opposition’s offer to work with the State Government was the “first time you’ve seen an opposition do this for decades in Victoria”.
He said if the State Government could “present a sensible piece of legislation” on the Port lease, he would “be happy to tie that sale to putting level crossings underground”.
State Treasurer Tim Pallas told Leader that Mr Guy’s comments were being made from “a position of ignorance”, and the State Government has always been honest about there being no “magical one-size-fits-all solution” to the issue.
“Every crossing removal is different,” Mr Pallas said.
“We’re not coming to a solution with a predetermined position, people can’t rewrite history on this.”
Mr Pallas said the local consultation process will begin this week, with a removal method to be decided by mid-2016 and a “design solution” determined by 2018.
“There’s going to be at least two years of extensive consultation before that construction gets underway,” he said.
When asked the price difference between above and below-ground rail options on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line, the treasurer said “it’s not about cost”.
“I don’t believe there’s a great deal in the cost difference between these arrangements,” Mr Pallas said.
He said it’s more important that the project to be guided by “science and imaginative engineering solutions”.
Edithvale local Elsie Bradshaw, who has lived in the area for more than 45 years, said she was worried after seeing other “failed” examples of above-ground rail lines overseas.
“We definitely do not want this to happen,” Ms Bradshaw said.
“We know there’s going to be noise and a lot of disruption — we’re prepared to put up with that, that’s fine — but not with the rails going up nine or more storeys.”
Community advocate Dorothy Booth, who is also the chairwoman of the Friends of Mentone Station and Gardens, said she was concerned there wouldn’t be enough true consultation on the issue.
“One government organisation talking to another government organisation is not consultation — that’s not going to come up with the best outcome for the community,” Ms Booth said.
“If they persist with this here, they won’t be in government to complete it, because the community won’t stand for it.”
There are now several local petitions against the skyrails gaining support, including one from the Carrum and Patterson Lakes Forum and another from the office of Inga Peulich.
February 20, 2016
QUESTIONS
PS: Off topic – Caulfield Racecourse. See Sunday Age – http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-public-space-that-people-didnt-know-existed-20160220-gmz66o.html
February 19, 2016
There are two extraordinary items in the agenda papers for Tuesday night. One concerns the ‘guns in the parks’ episode and the other the anti-semitism claims against Lobo. That both of these issues should occupy so much of council time, and expense, is in our view, a clear indication of how dysfunctional and politically driven Glen Eira Council is.
Both of these items feature some ‘unusual’ new tactics:
THE LOBO AFFAIR
Several things stand out immediately in this item:
What remains to be seen is whether these 8 paragons of virtue will take this matter further and whether ratepayers can expect to fork out thousands more to satisfy what we believe to be the political machinations of several councillors.
GUNS IN PARKS
We have uploaded both items HERE
PS: Today’s Age
February 17, 2016
No one is perfect. Mistakes are made –even repeated sometimes. But, (and this is a huge ‘but’) if nothing is learnt from these mistakes and they are allowed to go on and on, then there is something drastically wrong with the people involved and the organisation.
Glen Eira Council, and especially its councillors, are living proof that the pro-development agenda is all that matters. Why? Because this bunch has consistently repeated and repeated the most catastrophic errors in planning and have done absolutely nothing to either learn from their errors, or to address the real culprit – ie the planning scheme. Instead these 9 councillors have been content to play the ‘populist’ game by repeatedly lopping off one or two storeys, or reducing the number of dog boxes in applications. The result? The developer goes to VCAT and gets what he originally wanted. And the main reason? Because of the abysmal, pathetic, planning scheme that has not been properly reviewed or adequately amended since at least 2003. Even worse is that when decision after decision made by councillors is overturned, they have still done nothing. That in our view is not just stupidity, but blatant incompetence and indifference to residents’ plight.
Why can we say this? Because we have gone through every planning decision made by councillors since they were elected in late 2012. In every single decision where councillors lopped off a storey or two, or reduced the numbers of units, and the developer went to VCAT, the developer won! Councillor decisions are therefore not worth the paper they are written on and residents need to hold them accountable for not doing their jobs.
This is the first in a series of decisions we will be presenting. The failure of this administration and its 9 councillors needs to be revealed in all its gory detail. For each decision presented below we also quote from the VCAT judgement highlighting the inadequacy of the planning scheme. Please note that cases involving child care/aged care are not included in this ‘review’ nor are those applications which were refused outright.
COUNCILLOR DECISION #1 – 13/11/2012. 1056-1060 DANDENONG ROAD, CARNEGIE.
The application was for 12 storeys and 173 units. The officer recommendation was to grant a permit with some conditions. Esakoff and Pilling moved the motion for a permit for 8 storeys and 97 dwellings. On the casting vote of the chairman this motion got up. Lobo was absent. Voting for 8 storeys were – Esakoff, Okotel, Hyams and Delahunty. The developer went to VCAT and got his 12 storeys and 173 dwellings. Here is part of what the judgement stated – The review site is in Precinct 1 ‘ Dandenong Road Precinct’ of the Carnegie Urban Village. There are no specific policies for this Precinct in clause 22.05 as they expired in 2007.
It is common ground that 29% of the proposed dwellings (50 in total) rely on ‘borrowed light’. It is also common ground that these are one-bedroom dwellings of the same design and that all are oriented to the east. It is relevant that the council is not opposed to dwellings with bedrooms reliant on ‘borrowed’ light and only contests the proportion of such dwellings in the building
COUNCILLOR DECISION #2 – 27/11/2012 – 127-131 Gardenvale Road, Gardenvale.
The application was for 4 storeys and 12 dwellings. Officers recommended a permit. Delahunty & Lipshutz moved to grant this permit. Hyams, Delahunty, Pilling, Souness, Lipshutz voted in favour of the permit. Lobo was again absent. Amended plans were put in at VCAT and council imposed new conditions. VCAT deleted most of the conditions and stated in part – The planning scheme does not specifically address these detailed urban design matters…
COUNCILLOR DECISION #3 – 5/2/3013 – 483-493 GLEN HUNTLY ROAD,ELSTERNWICK
The application was for 8 storeys and 57 dwellings. Officer recommendation was that a permit be granted. Lipshutz and Sounness moved that a permit be granted for 6 storeys and 45 dwellings. Voting for this motion were: Lipshutz, Hyams, Esakoff, Okotel, Pilling and Sounness. The developer went to VCAT and there was ‘mediation’ where council accepted 7 storeys. An objector then appealed to VCAT. The member stated in part – In this context I am satisfied that a seventh floor as accepted by Council is sufficiently consistent with the policies of Council for development in this activity centre and does not result in any significant amenity impact associated with the height through overshadowing or overlooking.
COUNCILLOR DECISION #4 – 5/2/2013 – 687-689 GLEN HUNTLY ROAD, CAULFIELD
Application was for 4 storey and 29 dwellings. Officer recommendation was for a permit with 28 dwellings. Lobo and Delahunty moved to refuse permit. The motion was lost. Pilling and Lipshutz then moved motion for 3 storeys and 25 dwellings. Lipshutz’s argument at the time (since this was the same council meeting as the case above) was and we quote – we’ve just approved a 6 storey building and this is only 4 storey so ‘it’s a little harsh’ to reject and he won’t support the motion to reject. Voting for the 3 storeys were – Lipshutz, Pilling, Magee, Esakoff, Sounness, Hyams. The developer went to VCAT and a permit was granted for 4 storeys and 28 dwellings. Part of the judgement stated – There is nothing within the Housing Diversity Areas referring to preferred maximum heights for built form.
COMMENT
Residents need to be fully aware that just because a permit is refused, or councillors in their grandstanding decide to lop off a storey or two, that is by no means the end of the matter. Our analysis reveals time and time again how VCAT decisions are made on the basis of what the planning scheme does not contain. We repeat –
And those responsible for this failure? Councillors – since they have the power to insist on reviews and ordering the pen pushers to come up with amendments that would plug many of the current gaps in the scheme. Instead, they continue to pretend that removing a storey is all they can do! This is either sheer stupidity or complicity!
February 17, 2016
February 16, 2016
PPPS: ‘Helllllllaluyah!’ Council has finally joined the living and put something up on its website. Note: not its views, or position.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
AND THERE’S ALSO THIS FROM THE AGE – http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/skyrail-project-score-a-skyfail-on-proper-consultation-planners-20160215-gmugw6.html#comments
PS – A MUST READ – http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/skyrail-can-we-tell-the-difference-between-petitions-and-parody-any-more-20160215-gmuo9y.html
PPS: and now the ‘animation’ video for how ‘skyrail’ will be built – http://media.theage.com.au/news/victoria-news/animation-how-sky-rail-will-be-built-7213108.html
February 13, 2016
Phase 2 of the ‘consultation’ for the Virginia Estate development has been announced.
Feb – 11 – 2016 9:26 am Community drop in events announced
The owners of the East Village precinct have announced the first round of community drop-in events as part of consultation on the development of a 20 year masterplan for the Bentleigh East industrial area.
Three sessions are open to all residents and interested parties:
Tuesday 23rd February from 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Wednesday 24th February from 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Saturday 27th February 2pm to 4pm
All sessions will be held at 18 North Drive, 236-262 East Boundary Road, Bentleigh East.
Read our media release for more information.
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The Level Crossings authority dates are as follows –
Hughesdale Saturday 13 February, 1:30pm – 4:30pm Hughesdale Community Centre, 160 Poath Road Hughesdale
Murrumbeena Tuesday 16 February, 5:00pm – 8:00pm Murrumbeena Pavilion, 28 Gerald Street Murrumbeena
Carnegie Tuesday 23 February, 5:00pm – 8:00pm Boyd Room, Carnegie Community Centre, 7 Shepparson Avenue Carnegie
Hughesdale Thursday 25 February, 9:00am – 12:00pm Hughesdale Community Centre, 160 Poath Road, Hughesdale
Clayton Saturday 27 February, 9:00am – 12:00pm Clayton Community Centre, 9-1 5 Cooke Street, Clayton
Murrumbeena Thursday 3 March, 5:00pm – 8:00pm Murrumbeena Pavilion, 28 Gerald Street Murrumbeena
Carnegie Saturday 5 March, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Boyd Room, Carnegie Community Centre, 7 Shepparson Avenue Carnegie
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A great shame that Council with its multitude of staff devoted to ‘community liaison’ and ‘public relations’ cannot have anything up on its website that informs residents of these important events – unlike other councils of course. All you will find is this, dating from August 2015 – http://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/Council/News-and-media/Latest-news/Level-crossing-removals-in-Glen-Eira
February 12, 2016
Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh)—The matter I raise is for the Minister for Public Transport, and the action I seek from the minister is that she produce any documentation she may have that will clarify the position of Glen Eira Council in relation to consultation on the Andrews Labor government’s proposed design to remove all nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong. There have been recent pieces of misinformation being spread by one particular Liberal Party member of the Glen Eira Council. As I said in this place yesterday removing level crossings is the no. 1 priority for the residents in my community. It took the Andrews government and a very active Minister for Public Transport to get on and do this—and the government will be doing it all by 2018.
I take this time to refer the minister to comments that I have been reported and that have been provided to me from media outlets in my community about a meeting held at the City of Glen Eira between councillors and the Level Crossing Removal Authority. They are sourced from a councillor at the City of Glen Eira, who has suggested amongst other things that rail lines on the ground will stay there for years, councils will have to pay to develop the new parkland and—here is a cracker—councils will get into the business of shopping centre development and the government will be gifting them a whole lot of land to do it. What absolute scaremongering nonsense. Yet more nonsense being peddled and organised directly by those opposite.
I have it on good authority that these comments are from the Liberal Party member of the Glen Eira City Council, Karina Okotel. We may remember Cr Okotel from when she campaigned for my opponent at the last election. We may also remember her as a prospective Liberal Senate candidate for the next federal election, which was mentioned in the media recently. If this is conduct that she thinks is appropriate, God forbid that she gets elected to the national Parliament. You might also know her from the protests in my community recently, despite the fact that we keep hearing that these protests are not political. Not political? The last protest had no less than five Liberal members of Parliament, including the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
I recognise that there are people in my community who have genuine concerns and from day one the Premier made it clear that each affected resident would have their own dedicated case manager. I understand there will be a range of things provided for each resident, but this will be done in a calm and considered way by a caring government, one by one with all residents. What I do not recognise is the scaremongering, misinformation and out-and-out lies spread by those opposite. I have even heard that staff members of those opposite have been out doorknocking my community and staff members of the Leader of the Opposition have been canvassing shoppers in Koornang Road, Carnegie, about their views on sky rail without identifying who they are. I have also heard that members of the Leader of the Opposition’s staff have been doing other activities to coordinate this anti-campaign. I look forward to welcoming the minister to my community again through the duration of this project and I look forward to her clarification on these matters.
RESPONSE
MS ALLEN (Minister)…..Finally, the member for Oakleigh has raised a matter with me. It is quite a concerning matter because it does go to some misinformation that has been produced in his local community for purely political purposes. I know the member for Brighton is shocked. She is shocked at what is going on in the Oakleigh community. The member asked for me to produce documentation that would clarify the position of Glen Eira council.
I am looking to read into the record comments that I have in a letter. I am prepared to make the letter available to the house this evening. I received this morning a letter from the office of the mayor, Cr Neil Pilling, in response to an issue that was raised in the Herald Sun today about some claims about a meeting that was held with the Glen Eira council and the level crossing removal project team on Tuesday evening. Sorry, it was not to me. I should be clear. It was to Kevin Devlin, the CEO of the Level Crossing Removal Authority. I would just like to make that correction: it was to Kevin Devlin. He indicated that the discussion was, and I quote:
robust but productive, and it was helpful to gain a greater insight into not only your plans for further consultation with the community …
He goes on to say, and I quote:
It has come to our attention that one of our councillors has distributed her personal interpretation of matters discussed at the meeting to a wider audience … I would like to emphasise that this communication is neither an official record nor an accurate record of the discussion, nor does it represent the views of the collective council group.
I apologise that this has occurred as it is inconsistent with both the intent of the briefing and the courtesy that council seeks to afford to guest presenters.
As I have said, I appreciate the mayor taking immediate steps to correct the record from his council’s perspective following the reports in the media today. Is it not such a shame that the mayor has had to write a letter apologising on behalf of his council for the actions of a renegade councillor who is choosing to put her own party political interests above the good of the council and the good of the local community? It is incredibly disappointing. I hope for the member that that clarifies the position of the Glen Eira council. I appreciated the opportunity to briefly meet with the CEO and the mayor this afternoon as they were meeting with members in Parliament.
I also just want to mention too that we really look forward to working with the Glen Eira council on both the project and the opportunities that come from removing nine level crossings in the way that it is going to be done, creating those 11 MCGs worth of open space. The Glen Eira council has the least open space of any municipality in Melbourne, so this presents a unique, one-off opportunity not only to get rid of level crossings but to run more train services, to reduce road local community. It is going to be an opportunity. The Andrews Labor government has already said that we look forward to funding new facilities—they will be municipal facilities but new facilities along this corridor—and then providing funding to the councils in the longer term for them to maintain the upkeep of these facilities. That is why we want to work constructively and proactively with councils like Glen Eira and others along this rail corridor as we deliver an incredibly exciting infrastructure project for this community.
February 10, 2016
PPS: Daniel Bowen’s view – from his blog – http://www.danielbowen.com/2016/02/11/skyrail/
Herald Sun
HOUSES along the planned sky rail in Melbourne’s southeast won’t get compensation once trains run above their houses, councillors have been told.
Level Crossing Removal Authority representatives acknowledged to councillors in Glen Eira that elevating rail lines along sections of the Cranbourne-Pakenham was “unexpected”, but the $1.6 billion project was unlikely to be dumped no matter how fierce community protests became.
A closed meeting was held between councillors and the Authority on Tuesday night, after the Andrews Government revealed details of the sky rail plan on Sunday.
The project will see nine level crossings removed along Melbourne’s busiest train line, with three sections of the track to be elevated to nine metres above the ground.
Residents along the line are outraged, and have expressed alarm about safety, noise, and property values.
But the council meeting was told that families along the train line would not get compensation, and that home values may even increase.
Residents say they were not told of the sky rail plan during consultation sessions last year.
They said that potential bidders had been given a “blank canvas” to design the project, but that community input did influence final design.
But representatives from the Authority said consultation participants had been shown four possible options for removing level crossings, including putting train tracks over roads.
tom.minear@news.com.au
Glen Eira Debates 