City of Melbourne response

City of Melbourne response

The City of Melbourne strenuously rejects this Docklands News editorial which contains a series of factually incorrect comments regarding the Docklands Community and Place Plan (DCPP).

Docklands News claim: The DCPP is “airy fairy”.

Response: The DCPP covers 73 priority projects at $300 million – a 10-year plan informed by extensive community input.  

Docklands News claim: The consultation process started in December 2009.

Response: The second decade project commenced in July 2010.

Docklands News claim: The community consultation was a “sham”.

Response: This is wrong. More than 3700 people provided input to the plan through a comprehensive community engagement process with 2500 pieces of feedback received. The themes and actions in the plan are a response to this feedback and have been endorsed by the Docklands community. Community consultation will be ongoing as projects are delivered.  

Docklands News claim: Docklands never asked for a library.

Response: This is simply not true. During community consultation, Docklands residents overwhelmingly supported the idea of a first-class library and community centre for the area. Some Docklands residents, such as the Dock 5 group, even established their own DIY library as an interim measure.

Docklands News claim: That improving water quality in Victoria Harbour is fanciful.

Response: We believe water cleanliness is an important goal, but the reason it is outlined in the plan is because it is a priority for the community too. The City of Melbourne is committed to improving the cleanliness of Victoria Harbour through improved litter collection locally and advocating for better rubbish collection upstream. The City of Melbourne will utilise urban design techniques to reduce the impact of pollutants entering the waterways.

Docklands News claim: There is no plan or timetable.

Response: Wherever possible, the City of Melbourne and Places Victoria have assigned timeframes, costings and the responsible authorities to projects. 

A 10-year plan, by its very nature, requires a level of flexibility to manage future changes. However, to suggest that the DCPP is not a plan is incorrect. The DCPP contains meaningful and tangible projects, some of which are already underway.

The future development in Docklands is a joint enterprise – residents, developers, Places Victoria and the City of Melbourne all have an important role to play.

Planning, co-ordination and construction all take time, but the DCPP is a critical step, informed and supported by the people who live and work in Docklands, and we invite everyone to see it for themselves at http://www.docklands.com

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