Greetings from the DCA

I trust most of you are well. I know we can’t all be all the time. I’m reminded of this as one of our members was hit by a car and left with a serious injury and we wish her an early recovery.  There’s a lot to talk about so I’ll get on with it.

Esplanade redevelopment
The Docklands News stated in April  “ the ‘master plan report’ needs to be put on hold while a new, honest and open public discussion is conducted about how this public land is to be traded”.

Well it hasn’t happened and no time was wasted in quietly submitting it to council for approval at its meeting on June 2. No councillor or officer had the courtesy to notify us of its inclusion in the agenda. By chance I happened to notice it in glancing through the agenda online two days before.

How does this “secrecy” come about?  It occurred again recently with council in April quietly approving a building on the piazza. As I’ve previously said it’s at least partly explained because, unlike other councils, where I have direct experience, the City of Melbourne has no ward system by which councillors are required to look after the ward area they are elected to represent and in which they normally reside. No councillor lives in Docklands and, to my knowledge, CoM councillors in the main do not often visit it. Hence their apparent lack of knowledge and interest.

I attended the meeting and was given their standard two minutes for a member of the public to speak, regardless of the Esplanade being a multi-million dollar long-term project and that I was representing the community association as its president.

Given the blank faces around the bench, the disinterest was almost palpable.  The really telling thing was there was no debate and after a couple of questions, the project plans were passed unanimously!

This appears to be to a limited extent explained but not excused by, as I found out councillors meet behind closed doors in advance with officers who “explain things” in what’s called the councillor forum [not to be confused with an open forum]. From reading the documents supporting the agenda item, it is clear the officers detail their presentation but do not include community comment or any contrary views or options.

This process is flawed because of that and also because the items including pros and cons should be debated in open council and not decided on beforehand behind closed doors.

In my brief address to council I reiterated that the Docklands community voted online for a linear [long] park and is opposed to up to 12 buildings being installed along the 400m stretch as shown in the master plan, with buildings up to three storeys high! We are even supported in the criticism by a major developer. This plan will obliterate the water panorama.

I want to emphasise  that support for the linear park is not primarily for locals but to provide a welcoming vista and relaxing area to attract visitors to Docklands and present it well. But for the last few years Places Victoria and council officers have determinedly adhered to this master plan without modification. We still don’t know why.

Given that the main feature is the long stretch development, associated services such as a ferry service if viable and heritage vessel mooring would obviously  be good.

In response to a point I made, a councillor asked the officers was it correct that they did not include a linear park as an option in a general public survey they conducted.

A Places Victoria officer present answered true and, when asked why, replied it wasn’t considered a practicable option, which is clearly ridiculous.  

Wind has been used as an excuse but wind only applies beside buildings at either end and not along the open stretch any more than anywhere else, otherwise open beaches around the bay would be built on.

Additionally, the plan includes placing two large old cargo sheds on the Esplanade, referred to as heritage sheds to appeal to respondents, but their survey failed to mention there already are a number of the sheds lining both sides of Central Pier, thus rendering more unnecessary.

Regardless, the motion to adopt was put and passed unanimously without detailed debate, with the proviso that the development stages would be subject to review. Unfortunately however experience shows that a master plan is rarely if ever significantly changed.

Meeting with Planning Minister
I will be joining a few representatives from other community groups in a meeting with Minister Wynne in July to discuss development policy.

That’s all I’ve got space for this month

If any reader would like to become a member of the DCA or has any suggestions they wish to put forward regarding activities or issues, they are welcome to contact us on [email protected]. We’re also on Facebook.

If you would like to contact me about any aspect or becoming a committee member you are welcome to email as above.

Regards to all
Roger Gardner
President DCA