We’ll keep batting for the area

Hello again to everybody. I trust you are all well.  I am home from overseas but not happy about coming back to the cold weather.

Firstly, I must apologise for the postponement of the social night which had been planned for late July. The DCA committee made the decision because of the cold weather as it was felt that not enough people would attend. In any event, arrangements had not been finalised nor had notices been issued so no great harm was done apart from disappointing some people. The main function will be held in early December.

Following advice from DN editor Shane Scanlan that council has delayed approving construction of the proposed community centre and library, I supplied a response which is contained elsewhere in this edition.

Our concern is the complete lack of community consultation on what is a community facility. They are giving it over to a developer which raises a major concern in regard to proper location, size, access and parking. We don’t want it shoe-horned in like everything else. The same applies to the proposed school.

We are writing to VicUrban and the council requesting greater attention to traffic planning in relation to new construction. Insufficient attention is adding to the congestion which is already in a bad way.

Trying to get people to use public transport is a totally inadequate solution. Many still of course drive in and out.  Additional high-rise buildings coming on stream add to the number of vehicles using the confined road-space.  

There is also the matter of access. In the case of NewQuay, for example, the cramming in of additional buildings is adding to poor vehicle road access and the effect on side road traffic appears to be disregarded.  

In many cases, adjoining residents and workers are ignored by developers. We are seeking to redress this too.

This also raises the question of how many high-rise buildings are allowed to be built in a given area and what space is left between them. The planning scheme doesn’t appear to say. We will be following this up.

We keep members updated on the Harbour Esplanade works which continue slowly. The proposed Western Park development continues to languish in limbo.

Rumour has it that MAB Corporation plans to remove the big tent in Waterfront City and erect a high-rise building in its place.  That would be another deplorable loss to development of one of the few remaining public spaces in Docklands. We call on VicUrban to object but we won’t hold our breath.

Meanwhile, we continue to keep members informed of coming events via council listings and notices from The Hub which houses a host of activities for all ages. We hope that many of you take advantage of these leisure activities.

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]. If you would like to talk to me about any aspect you are welcome to call me on 0412 097 706.  You can also keep up with things on our website http://www.docklandscommunityassociation.com.

It’s good to be in touch again.  We’ll keep batting for the area.

Sincerely
Roger Gardner
President DCA