Community concerns

Community concerns

Greetings everybody

The DCA has been awarded a $3000 community service grant from the council as part of its grants program. It is for conducting community activities and consolidation. We wish to thank the council for the grant.

Having said that, there has been a general outcry from Docklands against council’s decision behind closed doors to cancel the 9.30pm family fireworks display on New Year’s Eve.  They have said it is due to police advice regarding crowd management issues. There have been no previous reports to that effect and we are sceptical of the reason.

This event is important for families and for restaurants and other businesses in Docklands. Council tried a similar tactic in 2009 but reinstated the event following our protests. We will protest again.

The DCA annual general meeting is being held on Monday, October 29.  The guest speaker will be Rob Moore, council’s manager of urban design.  I will report on the outcome next month.
On October 4, I met with some leading people involved with groups in Melbourne who are highly critical of the State Government’s planning of both high-rise and suburban low-rise development, including relaxing of the laws and the Minister’s autocratic approach. 

Strategies for objection are being developed. This is relevant to Docklands in terms of future development and protection of amenity.

An objection by owners corporation (OC) chairs will be lodged with the Minister, Places Victoria (PV) and council to MAB Corporation’s quiet approach to PV in an attempt to change the NewQuay Master Plan to construct more residential towers instead of commercial buildings behind existing residential towers.

This proposed change is objectionable on a number of grounds.

Myself representing the DCA along with Albert Morcos on October 11 attended the meeting of the Docklands Steering Group comprising senior executives of council and Places Victoria at which we reported on the first forum meeting and were given the opportunity to hear reports on the status of projects.  

The status reports contained nothing we didn’t already know. These have so far been tell-sessions where we’re told what’s going to happen; whereas we request the opportunity to have input before decisions are made. I did say that we oppose the placing of old cargo sheds on the revamped Esplanade and was promptly told that was locked in.

We have tentatively set the date of the DCA Christmas Party for Wednesday, December 12.  Invitations advising venue and other details will be sent out in the near future.

I have been asked by the community garden co-ordinator to include the following report in this column for the benefit of readers:

“All of that area around the park and Myer, leading into the garden area was on a contaminated site.  It was the site of the old gas works.  

The ground has been decontaminated to world’s best practice standards.  But, in addition, all the garden beds are raised beds and filled with new soil from off site.  

They have a moisture barrier membrane beneath plus a 50 cm scoria layer to prevent water rising from beneath.  

They are completely safe for food production, but users are advised not to plant edible foods in the ground around the garden (although that’s probably safe too)”.

This report was provided in response to an enquiry from a university researcher.

Regards to all,
Roger Gardner, President DCA

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