Dear Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. members and friends

Here is an important notice concerning numbers of pivotal issues which affect the whole of Melbourne. PPL VIC is formally supporting the Royal Park Protection Group Inc. and the Mt Alexander Road Campaign Group:

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY PROTEST TO SAY “NO” TO THE TUNNEL & TRAVANCORE DEVELOPMENT AT 1 PM ON SUNDAY 25 MAY 2008 DEBNEY’S PARK FLEMINGTON

Reason to Protest: The proposed developments will clog the roads around Flemington, West Parkville, North Melbourne, Ascot Vale and Kensington and destroy public parkland notably Royal Park. Specifically: (1) The Tunnel (proposed by the Eddington report on the “East West Link Needs Assessment”) will have a major interchange undoubtedly in the form of a spaghetti junction at Flemington Rd, Racecourse Rd and CityLink; a flyover across West Parkville residential area plus Royal Park and possibly across Travancore Park; and consume parts of Royal Park West and Holland Park in Kensington as staging points for tunnel construction. Vent stacks will be situated along the route of the tunnel. (2) The Travancore 22 story Office/Apartment Development and 1,000 vehicle carpark will cause even greater traffic congestion in and around the southern part of Mt. Alexander Rd and will also consume 2,000 sq meters of Debney’s Park.

Taken together with the failure to make major improvements in public transport they will lead to an urban nightmare for the residents of five Melbourne suburbs and loss of significant parkland.

Time and Date: 1 pm Sunday May 25 2008 Location: Debney’s Park, Mt Alexander Rd next to the Flemington Community Centre. Key Speaker: Dr Paul Mees – our public transport guru MC: Rod Quantock.

Themes: Say “no” to John Brumby and the Big End of Town’s urban nightmare; oppose more loss of public parkland; demand real solutions to our traffic and public transport problems and real action on Global Warming.

Transport: Train – Flemington Bridge Station Upfield Line. Tram – No 59 up Mt Alexander Road from Elizabeth Street that drops you off at Tram stop 23 next to the Flemington Community Centre or No 57 up Racecourse Road and walk north through “Housing Commission” grounds. Bike: Moonee Ponds Creek Trail. Parking: Outside Flemington Community Centre (limited); Victoria Street – first left after Debney’s Park and walk back across sports fields; parking areas of “Housing Commission” flats on Racecourse Road entrance and walk across. Melways Map Reference: 43B1.

Principal organizing groups: Mt Alexander Rd Campaign Group (MARCG) and Royal Park Protection Group Inc. (RPPG) with the support of Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc. (a coalition of over 80 environment, heritage and community groups.) Contacts: Julianne Bell RPPG 9818 4114 or 0408022408 jbell5@bigpond.com or Gab Pretto MARCG on 0411060059 stoptrafficdisaster@live.com.au.

Julianne Bell
Secretary Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc.

From the Flemington Association –

I attach for your urgent consideration a copy of the submission provided to the Moonee Valley City Council by the Flemington Association regarding the proposed development of the Lombards site on Mount Alexander Road, Travancore (see our web site).

The submission outlines the troubling background of state intervention into the redevelopment of the site, which has led the way to the developers proposing a 21-storey office tower and 9-storey apartment block on a small area that will dominate and overwhelm the one open, green space in Flemington.

Debney’s Park, which will be literally overshadowed by the development, is the one public space available to those who live in the high-rise Housing Estate and in the high-density Victorian homes in Flemington. No environmental assessment appears to have been undertaken of the site, nor has the developer taken into account the impact on the surrounding communities. Third party appeal rights have been removed by the state government, with no sound justification.

Please assist the residents and businesses of Flemington to stop this inappropriate development. A copy of the submissions is found at our website at www.vicnet.net.au/~flem3031.
Regards

John Dickie
President, Flemington Association

SOS has received this from WERA (West of Elgar Residents’ Association) – they have had many many problems with Deakin University…

WERA:
Deakin Uni has ‘struck again’ without any community involvement.
They are suddenly on the Whitehorse Council Agenda for Monday night [3 days notice for us!], seeking to build their “Interconnect” -actually a high level bridge that will carry maintenance vehicles across the Gardiner’s Creek valley parkland.

Our email to Council –

West of Elgar Residents’ Association Inc.
W E R A
A.N.:A0031410U
To : ALL COUNCILLORS, CITY OF WHITEHORSE
RE : Council Meeting of 17 March 2008 and Item 10.2.4
Deakin University Interconnect Project

This dot point note is being sent to you now – WERA is planning to prepare a more detailed letter.

Please do NOT support Deakin University’s application as put before you at this meeting.

WERA strongly supports the retention of ALL of the Gardiner’s Creek Reserve as Public Open Space

We are therefore opposed to the placement of a bridge in the park and the alienation of a central section of the park to an outside interest.

WERA puts forward the following points to support our request to you:

• WERA, together with CROWAG [Combined Residents Organisation of Whitehorse Action Group], have consistently opposed the proposed Interconnect. These are your resident community who feel strongly about open space in Whitehorse. At two public meetings held about the proposed Interconnect, not one resident spoke in favour.
• Deakin University’s “Public Consultation” [mentioned in your agenda] was a farce. “Options” were displayed, but community involvement never occurred….. The pylons of the bridge were there beforehand ……. And the community was unable to discover what happened to those “options” ……And a prize was awarded within weeks for a bridge built to fit the pylon specifications!! ……
• Further ……. Historically, Deakin University’s relationship with the community has been poor. There is a longstanding sense of distrust among residents.
• Whitehorse Open Space Strategy is now Council Policy. In this, the Gardiner’s Creek Reserve has a high priority.
• Legislative Council Select Committee on the Sale and Alienation of Public Land. WERA has a submission before this committee with respect to the integrity of the Gardiner’s Creek Reserve.
• There is an ‘overlay’ along Gardiner’s Creek in this area.[State Government]
• Granting this application could create a precedent for future outside [eg Deakin] applications to alienate open space

Elizabeth Meredith

The Council will make its decision on Thursday the 7th February 2008

From Unchain St Kilda –

5pm – Gather at The Palais
Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
We will walk to the Council meeting at St Kilda Town Hall. Feel free to get creative, bring banners and wear St Kilda colours – let’s make this march colourful and make ourselves heard. You can also download the postcard and poster to print or to email to friends.

See their web site for more details.

Yarra is yet again is faced with another inappropriate development, with a planning application before council for a 10+ story development on Bridge rd between Lennox st and Church street (on the North Side).

The council is having an information meeting on Tuesday 11th December, 6pm at the Richmond Town Hall.

For more information, and discussion, got to www.yarra.org (my Yarra community web site).

From the Council planning application (PL07/0876 ) – 243-247 Bridge Rd Richmond VIC 3121, Demolition of existing building and associated structures and construction of a ten-storey mixed- use development (plus three basement levels) comprising 4,255sqm of retail floor space, 117 dwellings and an ancillary gymnasium including a reduction in the car parking.

We simply do not want, or need, these sized developments in our strip shopping centers!

Expect to hear more about this development, as many residents have contacted me already – and bridge road is my local shopping strip!
Ian Quick

See the unChain St Kilda site

The ridiculous development proposed for the St Kilda triangle looks like it’s on the way to the Supreme Court. This looks like a slam dunk case for the residents (as nobody could call this development a ‘public purpose’) but as we find on many occasions, the law and logic often don’t have much in common…

We urge everyone to go to the unChain St Kilda site and lodge and objection!

From The Age

Cameron Houston
November 30, 2007

Camberwell residents have vowed to picket any development that crowds out their beloved station. Actors Geoffrey Rush and Barry Humphries have rallied to the cause.

See The Age for the full article

The Camberwell Station redevelopment has had a long and public history – see See BRAG for details

Yarra River and Victoria Gardens STOP THE TOWERS 10.30 am – Saturday 16th Sept., 112 Smith St.

In what would be a clear disaster for the Yarra river, and for the residents of Richmond who live near the Victorian Gardens shopping center, Salta has announced its intention to build seven massive towers on the bank of the Yarra river, and four tall towers on Burnley St opposite the Victoria Gardens shopping center (currently zoned Residential 1!).

Download the SOS Submission to the Priority Development Panel

All the proposed towers are HIGHER than the current MFB building on the site – even though Yarra Councils Urban Design Frame work specified that as the maximum height!

The towers going down Burnley St are going to be almost twice as high as Victoria Gardens Shopping center opposite, and the complex will go hard up against a small lane with houses on the other side. As this is all zoned Residential 1 at the moment!

The matter has been referred by the Planning Minister Rob Hulls to the Priority Development Panel ie –
The Minister has asked the PDP to provide advice on a number of interrelated matters in the Victoria Street East Precinct in Richmond, including:

1. The request by the City of Yarra for interim structure plan provisions to implement the Victoria Street East Urban Design Framework (UDF)
   
2. The request by Tara Nominees (Salta) to rezone land within the Victoria Street East precinct to a Priority Development Zone (PDZ) to facilitate the development of a mixed use precinct within the Victoria Street
   Major Activity Centre.

SOS believes that structure plans that implement the UDF should be immediately implemented – the UDF was developed by Yarra Council in 2004 and the process included wide spread community consultation. Minister Hulls knocked back the councils request for controls last year, he should not do so again.

SOS also strongly believes that the land should NOT BE REZONED TO A PDZ, because –

1. The PDZ zones deny natural justice to residents, in removing the residents right to appeal, while RETAINING the developers right to appeal!
2. The area on the banks of the Yarra river should NOT become a PDZ due to the significance of the Yarra river, and the impact a development on this site could have.
3. The area on the west side of Burnley St should NOT become a PDZ as
   1. it is currently zoned Residential 1
   2. is part of an intact residential neighbourhood
   3. was never envisaged to be a part of the commercial development of Victoria Gardens
   4. any development will significantly impact surrounding residents.
4. The developer should NOT be able to request rezoning of land it not only does NOT own, but has not even contracted to buy!

A PDZ has two main features –

1. The developer receives permission to build something ‘generally’ in agreement with a broad concept plan.
2. Third party (ie residents) rights to object are removed, but the developers rights to appeal remain! ie in later stages, when the council issue individual planning permits for parts of the development, residents CAN NOT take the council to VCAT, but the developer can!

The supporting documents are on the DSE/PDP web site, scroll down to the “Yarra – Victoria Street East Precinct” section.
Submissions are due in at the PDP by April 27, 2006 (not 2005 as the PDP documentation states..)

See the Collingwood Action Group

The Australian Financial Review, 16 February 2006, Mark Phillips.

Anger builds in Collingwood The Banco Group’s green light to develop a historic site has raised questions about urban planning in Melbourne, writes Mark Phillips.

The Save Our Suburbs lobby group has called for the redrafting of the Melbourne 2030 planning framework after a residential, office and retail complex of up to seven storeys was approved in Smith Street in inner-city Collingwood.

Plannning Minister Rob Hulls yesterday approved the development of the heritage site by the Blanco Group, infuriating SOS and local residents.

The approved plans have reduced the scale of the project and its impact on the surrounding streetscape.

The project at 132-172 Smith Street has been viewed as a litmus test of the planning strategy’s attitude towards major property development in established neighbourhood shopping centres.

“This is an absolute disaster,” SOS president Ian Quick said.

“It was very clear from the start that the panel were going to recommend it go ahead”

“It just shows a clear signal that the state government is going to approve just about anything”

Mr Hulls said he had accepted the advice of a priority development panel to allow the project to go ahead, subject to a Further reduction of its height and bulk.
The recommendations of the panel, which sat late last year, included reducing the height of three buildings along the Smith Street frontage by one storey to a new maximum of seven levels.

Blanco must also reconstruct the historic facades of two buildings on Smith Street that were originally planned for demolition, and reduce the height of buildings at the rear of the site on Little Oxford Street.

The final plans approved by Mr Hulls have scaled back the number of apartments in the development from 245 to 161.

The project will also include a shopping mall and office space.

The development was originally valued at $300 million, when it included three ninestorey towers on Smith Street.

Mr Hulls said the mixed-use project was “entirely consistent” with the intentions of Melbourne 2030, which encourages built-up development of suburban activity centres.

But he said the newly appointed state architect, John Denton, would review the final design specifications for the development including the choice and application of materials.

“The panel found that with some modifications, the proposed redevelopment responds to the historic and built form context of Smith Street” Mr Hulls said.

“They also found that the substantial redevelopment of a site within a major activity centre that is well serviced by public transport is consistent with the planning policies at both state and local level.

“I am satisfied that this redevelopment,subject to some design improvements, will transform this key inner-city site while maintaining the streetscape’s special inner urban character and appeal”

Mr Quick said the approval was a blow to residents who had been campaigning for almost two years against the project on the grounds that it was inappropriate for the neighbourhood.

But he said the decision came as no surprise as the panel had been established to fasttrack the development not to stop it “It was very clear from the start that the panel were going to recommend it go ahead.” Mr Quick said.

He said the approval of the Banco project would set a precedent for other neighbourhood centres.

“It’s a clear indication that Melbourne 2030 should he discontinued immediately and completely reviewed because it’s absolutely not appropriate that we put these scale developments m shopping strips which currently have nothing like it” Mr Quick said.

“If they put this on Smith Street, which is basically two storey buildings with the odd three [storey] and they’re quite happy to actually whack up those towers.

“If they’re happy to do that on Smith Street which is basically low-rise and smallish shops, they’re happy to do that anywhere”.

Approval of the Banco project will also put pressure on the state MP for Richmond, Richard Wynne, who faces a strong challenge in his scat at this year’s election from the
Greens and Mr Quick, who will run as an independent.

Banco did not return a call asking for comment.

Starting out with a development that the council supported, it soon moved into an exercise of frustration for Boroondara council and local residents. Not only would the developer not agree to a slight reduction in height – requiring deletion of a mere 40 out of 600 apartments – but when the council decided not to continue with the amendment Planning Minister Rob Hulls took control .

Most people would agree that having the Minister involved in projects of state significance is a good idea, but HOW can allowing an extra 40 apartments be of State significance???

For the history of the project go to the council page.

For a brief description of what has just happened, see The Age article.