At The End of A Busy Year
Special thanks to committed environmentalists who support, not only our group, but keep us informed about conservation work by other groups. Walter and Nina perform a valuable role here by attending meetings and or/working bees and reporting back to MBCL. Judy, our President, has been instrumental in alerting us to the significance of the Beaumaris fossil cliffs and sea ledges and linking up with Sandringham /Beaumaris residents seeking to protect the cliffs from further marina development. Penny is a member of a local committee working to protect Heritage features such as the Mentone Station Gardens. Stephen, our measurement man, is invaluable in checking work on the Bay Trail and has found that there has been deviation from plans leading to encroachment into a much used park near Charman Road.Tony Collins kindly attends alternate MBCL meetings to keep us up to date with the valuable work which Council undertakes in sports grounds and Parks. Last, but certainly not least, grateful thanks to our most efficient Treasurer and especially to Fiona, IT specialist extraordionaire,without whom this newsletter would not have appeared this month!
Victoria National Park Association
AGM Tuesday 6th October ground floor meeting room 60 Leicester Street Carlton, 7pm. Nibbles and drinks provided.
Mordialloc Creek
MBCL made a submission to Melbourne Water’s Draft Flood Management Strategy for both Port Phillip and Westernport Catchments. Mordialloc Creek has been the centre of flood events since European settlement – major floods occurring in 1934 and 1952 and more recently in 1994. Kingston Council has been carrying out major drainage work which may help alleviate local flooding in future, however the fact that approval is still being given for developments on flood prone land in the Mordialloc Creek catchment means that run-off from increasing hard surface areas means that flash flooding will continue and probably increase locally. Check the attachment for a report on a working bee in the Mordialloc Creek reserve.
Legal Liability for Damages Following Approval of Development on Unstable Land
This matter was in response to a Notion of Motion presented by Kingston’s Councillor Cr West – a request for an assessment from lawyers of what Kingston Council’s (i.e Councillors and rate payers ) legal liability would be if Kingston Council staff and Councillors approve developments on known flood plain or unstable ground and damage occurs. Advice from lawyers was in part that Council should liasise with Melbourne Water Corporation in relation to the adequacy of the existing identification and mapping of flood plains within the municipality.
Port Phillip Conservation Council
Speaker at the PPCC AGM 7pm Monday 19th October at Long Beach Place, Chelsea Road, Chelsea. Guest Speaker will be Carolyn Ewers, Marine and Coastal Ecologist and doctoral candidate at Deakin University’s Centre for Integrative Ecology. Topic :- Blue carbon hotspots: Distribution and abundance of blue carbon in Victoria and focuses on understanding the dynamics of carbon sequestration in saltmarshes, mangroves and seagrasses to maximise carbon gains in coastal ecosystem restoration projects. Anyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend.
Bay Trail
In addition to the loss of 9 metres of parkland during the construction of the northern end of the Bay Trail (noted by Stephen), during the replacement of toilets and rejuvenation of Dixon Street and Antibes car parks the proposed route of back-of-kerb bike path seems to have been ignored by placement of the toilet blocks, new kerbing and revegetation by council foreshore staff. There has been a total lack of public consultation (as opposed to discussion with a carefully selected few) over the progress of the Bay Trail construction.
Green Wedge
At the last meeting of the Biodiversity and Climate Change Committee a progress report was given on planned uses in the GW. Certain Kingston Councillor weren’t happy with a previous report supporting retention of green wedge boundaries and uses and voted for Meinhardt consultants to review the previous report. Fortunately Meinhardt consultants supports Kingston’s Green Wedge Plan 2012 :preferred land uses environmental and natural resources.
Melrose Street, Mordialloc
In the State Government’s most recent residential planning schemes, Parkdale Plaza, abutting Melrose Street is the only area in Melbourne that is requesting that a section of the Plaza change from commercial to residential. While this is strongly supported by the residents, the tenants of shops in the Plaza are not in favour. Residents living in close proximity, (virtually across a narrow street from the back of the businesses) will have even greater aggravation from increased noise and traffic, Council supports the change but the State Government is dragging its feet over the outcome. A Panel Hearing is to hear the application next month.
Indian Temple
Somewhat of a Surprise to find that an Indian temple has been operating for a couple of years in what, from the Frankston railway line, appears to be a galvanised iron, vandalised and graffited shed! However the interior has apparently been refurbished to the required standards. The area is primarily a boat building, launching and maintenance site for small boat owners and is to remain so according to the City of Mordialloc (now Kingston) Structure Plan in order to retain Mordialloc’s fishing village atmosphere. During King tides, southwesterly gales and high rainfall in the catchment the creek overflows its banks and the area is flooded.