natural ammenity

"Only the Liberal Party will protect the amenity and character of our neighbourhoods and rural hinterland," says Russell Joseph, Liberal Candidate for Nepean. We don't often publish statements from the major parties, but this is the first one we know of that looks at protecting the Mornington Peninsula. The Peninsula is an incredibly biodiverse part of South-Eastern Australia, hardly explored to date in terms of paleontology, rapidly losing its native fauna and flora. The undeniable fact that governments since Jeff Kennett have promoted destructive population growth here makes any policy to protect it extremely important. We will publish statements from any other political party that has a plan to protect the Mornington Peninsula from overpopulation.

"In 2014 the Liberal government introduced the Mornington Peninsula Localised Planning Statement to help protect our unique coastal, rural and conservation areas of the Mornington Peninsula townships and hinterland. However under Labor our General Residential Zone has been ruined and will now become a location for 3-storey apartment-style developments regardless of the established character of our neighbourhoods," he states.

Joseph describes the Andrews Labor government as having, without any consultation with local residents, communities or council, "replaced existing 9 metre height limits with an 11 metre limit and ‘as of right’ approval for three storey development."

He adds his opinion that,

"Labor’s changes affect over 24,000 house lots across the Mornington Peninsula and this comes with further increases in traffic congestion and unsustainable pressure on an already stressed public transport system."

Joseph claims that a Liberal government will fix these planning changes and fund improved bus connections to the Mornington Peninsula, including service route changes and frequency improvements to both the 788 (Portsea) and 783 (Flinders) services. He says that a Liberal government will protect the Mornington Peninsula and reject the Labor-Greens ‘solution’ to Melbourne’s chronic urban congestion by pushing the population down to us.

He concludes,

"Make no mistake, Labor and the Greens see their own ‘Brunswick-by-the-Bay’ down here, but only a Liberal government will protect what we love about our Peninsula."

Joseph's statements about the Labor Party Government's planning and population decisions for the Peninsular are unfortunately correct. Our files on ALP population and planning go back years - /taxonomy/term/1054 and /taxonomy/term/7452. Of course the Liberals, the last time they were in government, continued, like Labor, to advertise for more and more immigrants at the Vic Gov site of "Live in Victoria," now changed to Live in Melbourne. All state governments in Australia run similar sites, promising to sponsor immigrants and dishonestly promoting their cities as very 'livable', just as mass immigration is making them more and more 'unlivable'. Matthew Guy, as the then Minister for Planning, made disastrous changes to Melbourne Planning too. It is a case of Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but maybe some of them are beginning to read the writing on the wall. Let us hope.

In his favour, Mr Joseph also asked me some time ago to provide a white paper from my submission about management of biodiversity in the Mornington Peninsula Green Wedges. This paper noted the problem of overpopulation and overdevelopment. Unfortunately illness prevented me from doing so, although the paper itself is available.

As if the development and construction of 590 Orrong Road isn't enough, residents at 'ground zero' are now facing compulsory acquisition of their homes. They need your help today. You will also be dismayed to learn that Victory Square is at risk of being yet another sports oval in an area so devoid of passive recreation space. When is enough enough?
Read all about it and take action. Originally published at https://orronggroup.wordpress.com/ as an article posted by Hootville, "Urgent: Council’s plan for parkland next to 590 Orrong Rd".

As if the development and construction of 590 Orrong Road isn't enough, residents at 'ground zero' are now facing compulsory acquisition of their homes.

They need your help today.

You will also be dismayed to learn that Victory Square is at risk of being yet another sports oval in an area so devoid of passive recreation space. When is enough enough?

Read all about it and take action: As if the development and construction of 590 Orrong Road isn't enough, residents at 'ground zero' are now facing compulsory acquisition of their homes.

They need your help today.

You will also be dismayed to learn that Victory Square is at risk of being yet another sports oval in an area so devoid of passive recreation space. When is enough enough?

Read all about it and take action:

Victory Square under threat, playground demolished, (yet) more cricket facilities planned. 

The words below come to us from members of a new group: No Confidence in Stonnington, many of whom live near “ground zero”. Not only have these residents been lumbered with the gross over development that is 590 Orrong Rd, they are facing compulsory acquisition of their homes – using money from the developer.

That money – which is obligatory by law – is supposed to compensate locals  for the massive impact of the development. Instead it seems that the money will be spent in ways that hurts locals more and benefit one very specific group in the community. If that’s not enough, the group has drawn our attention to a hideous new possible masterplan for the Victory Square space. It seems that people – dog walkers, parents, kids, older people, joggers, those that just enjoy a (tiny) open space – will be ignored in favour of powerful sports clubs. If what you read below upsets you, learn more and take action at their website.  

Stonnington Council proposes to place a Public Acquisition Overlay over three homes adjacent to Toorak Oval and Victory Square (Amendment C 197) (homes at 10 and 14 Aubrey St and 1aFulton Street). They have already spent over $1.4M quietly acquiring 1 Fulton Street in 2014. They are in a position to spend millions of ratepayers’ funds on potentially acquiring homes because of the developer contributions they will receive, by law, from the Lend Lease development at 590 Orrong Road.

The anticipated open space needs generated by this development should have been provided at that land. The local community should not be required to provide land for the public open space needs generated by that development and had understood the development contributions from that development would go to improving existing open space, not acquiring more land.

Another master plan for Toorak Oval and Victory Square

The existing master plan does not contemplate the expansion of the park area. However, the Council proposes to spend money on yet another master plan for Toorak Oval and Victory Square and preliminary plans indicate that they wish to spend ratepayers’ funds to acquire the three homes and turn them into cricket nets and re-allocated car parking spaces. Victory Square will be turned into a mini football/cricket oval and will see the removal of the much used playground. It is likely that it will not longer be accessible for the many dog owners, parents, children and seniors, who use the park all day, every day.

Object by Monday 2nd February If you agree that this is certainly not the best allocation of ratepayers’ funds, nor the best outcome for the wider community, not just the influential sporting groups, please object. More details and an objection form here.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council has a very short survey on its website about the future of Hanging Rock, asking if you support large scale concerts being staged on this deeply iconic place of legend and film. The survey closes tomorrow, Friday 28 June 2013. There are some things you should know before you allow this site to be changed irreversibly. Here’s a link to the survey, but please first see our recommendation.

http://www.mrsc.vic.gov.au/Council_the_Region/News_Media/Latest_News/Hanging_Rock_Concerts_Community_Survey Please take a moment to complete the survey. Only identification it asks for is post code (e.g. 3442 for Woodend).

But before you click, here are some things you may not know:

• The ‘East Paddock’ at Hanging Rock used for concerts was acquired by the old Shire of Newham and Woodend to protect Hanging Rock. Now Council is proposing large scale commercial use of that land.
• The Hanging Rock development is a project promoted in the draft Loddon Mallee South Regional [Major] Growth Plan that the Macedon Ranges’ community wasn’t consulted about.
• Council (i.e. Macedon Ranges’ ratepayers) spent $200,000 (as part of a $600,000 project) on the East Paddock in 2011/12.
• Macedon Ranges Council recently received $2m Federal funding towards the $4m cost of the development currently proposed at Hanging Rock. Council is borrowing $550,000 this year, with another $1 million to come ($1.6 million full cost to Macedon Ranges’ ratepayers).
• Total cost of concerts to ratepayers so far: $1.8m.
• Council is always talking about ‘flow-on’ economic effects but not how much ratepayers get out of the concerts (the Wrecking Ball concerts in Australia made $25m in ticket sales [Billboard.com]).
• The promoter of the concerts, who apparently isn’t contributing to the development, is accredited in local papers with saying this development is only stage 1, there is more to come.
• According to Council’s 4 April 2013 media release, 34,000 people attended the two Springsteen concerts but only 3,000 were from Macedon Ranges Shire, so it’s not really about locals.
• This survey is the first time Council has ‘consulted’ the Macedon Ranges’ community about how Hanging Rock is and will be used.
• Plans of the proposed development have not been made public, but apparently include connecting the East Paddock to infrastructure and services, and construction of a hard surface stage area.

Comment and Recommendation:



If you are OK with local Macedon Ranges’ residents paying high rates and going into debt to subsidize “large scale” concerts, and undisclosed development, at Hanging Rock, without the community being consulted, by all means support future “large scale” concerts. That’s what our Council wants.

On the other hand, we think it’s pretty rude that Council still hasn’t asked us if we want any development or commercial use at Hanging Rock; still hasn’t provided any information about what it plans and what it costs; doesn’t seem to be making anything out of it all; and the best ‘consultation’ Council can manage is asking a couple of leading questions after it has committed to spending our money and developing our land.

Our recommendation: Click ‘no’ to large scale concerts, and tell Macedon Ranges Council to come clean about everything that is going on at Hanging Rock.