Tag » Port Phillip Conservation Council

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 5th February 2020

Correspondence

Comment made that people want action on climate change so a letter to be sent to a local paper in support of action being taken by Government. This was done.

Dent’s Paddock Development

A VCAT Hearing in May.Issues arising are the proposed location of offsets after removal of vegetation on the site. a request that some of the $7 million offered by Government for the purchase of open space be spent on purchasing this site. There is a shortage of open space in Chelsea and Edithvale.

Road the Bay Trail

A careful watch on work being undertaken along Beach Road by a MBCL member reports that construction appears to be progressing according to the plans approved by Council. While Kingston Council’s plan for the trail from Mordialloc Creek to Carrum proposes to use the Long Beach Trail, LXRA plans to build a bike trail along the Station Street side of the rail line. This will mean removing all existing Banksia Woodland along the rail line. This route is not necessary because there is an existing bike track along the opposite side of Station Street.

Braeside Park Survey

Activities being suggested in this survey include festivals, food outlets, camping, dogs, etc. Such activities would require lighting, increased parking space and noise thus creating disturbance for the flora and fauna which is a feature of Braeside Park.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd July 2019

Review of Ward Boundaries

Discussion re possible changes to ward boundaries as a result of the State Government’s proposal for changes for no ward boundaries at all, but with for example, for Kingston as of now, nine councillors. However council’s are not keen on this idea and neither are many residents. Apparently Bayside have just finished their review and they have continued with 3 wards with 3,2,3 councillors in the 3 Wards.

Mordialloc 5th Sea Scouts Rehousing

A suggestion at the Mordialloc Creek Community meeting that the Sea Scouts want to have the scout hall on the George Woods Reserve extended so that both 4* and 5 scouts could use this building. However that will mean yet another building occupying limited open space at that site. The alternative is for the Sea Scouts to relocate to the Mordialloc Sailing Club building at Aspendale. The yacht club member spoken to seemed to think that this would be a good idea. Chelsea Yacht Club shares its building on the foreshore with other boating activities.

National Tree Planting Day Sunday 28″ July

The NRA team were delighted with the number of residents and Scouts who turned out to help plant 1800 plants on this lovely sunny Sunday on Mordialloc Creek bank. It is great to note how well trees lining the banks of the creek have grown over the years. Water birds noted were ducks. cormorants. water hens and a Nankeen night heron. Unfortunately also noted were long strips of plastic in the reeds on the creek bank.

Heritage Listing Pompei Site

No response from Kingston Council re local Heritage listing for part of the Pompei site, or for Mordialloc Creek boating area around the Island and Doyle’s hotel -all part of the early settlement around Port Phillip Bay.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 7th November 2018

Committee of Management Mordialloc Creek

W. Grahame reported on this meeting which was held at the Mordialloc Motor Yacht Club. Melbourne Water, Kingston Council Officers. DEWLP. Boating and Fishing Club Members were in attendance. Issues raised were moorings. Sea Scouts lack of boat launching facilities.

Heritage Listing of Pompei Site and Mordialloc Creek Environs

Discussion about Heritage listing for not just the Pompei site and large boat building shed but also the creek environs from the mouth to the railway bridge has been postponed until February 2019. A local heritage consultant thought the whole area was worthy of this listing because of its long fishing and boat building history. While the big shed could become a boat building museum this seems unlikely to happen.

The Grange

P.MacGuire-White reported on drainage run-off from sports ground hard surfaces outside the Grange boundary effecting the vegetation within the Grange.

Green Wedge

Reports of a victory at VCAT with a large Coptic Church being refused. The planning permit sought was not only for the Church, with a tall tower and dome, but stables for horses, sports grounds, etc. The refusal was based on the fact that the church would be more useful in an urban setting rather than on a 40 hectare block of land planned to encourage small size farming activity according to Green Wedge policy documents. With Planning Minister Wynne’s victory in Saturday’s election the Green Wedge may become even more secure!

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 1st November 2017

Groves Reserve

Three MBCL members met with the Local Member to discuss the potential threat to the Banksia Woodland as a result of the SES being offered use of the site for a replacement depot. The current Scope building is situated on Crown land. Both VicRail and VicRoad own strips of land on either side of this building. It is thought that the building could be reconfigured to accommodate both the Scope building and the SES. There may be a scar three on Groves Reserve.

Dent’s Paddock

VCAT was not happy with the extent of vegetation which would be removed if the development of 14 units went ahead on this lovely little piece of bushland at Edithvale – a suburb short of open space. Land is in limbo at present Local residents would like Council to buy the land for open space as has been done where two house blocks were bought for that purpose.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 4th October 2017

Mordialloc Bypass

Five members of VicRoads attended the October meeting plus two members of the Braeside Park Committee.This commenced at 3pm and was a robust discussion. The 9km stretch of four lane freeway (with provision for two extra lanes later) runs adjacent to the Braeside Park boundary and encroaches on the South West corner of the park before crossing Governor Road and entering the wetlands to an elevated road. There is significant vegetation in this section. Passing in close proximity to the Waterways Residential estate as an elevated roadway will create noise issues requiring sound barriers adding to the visual impact. The elevated road will cross the Mordialloc Creek and passover Aspendale Gardens homes before joining Springvale Road.

The meeting concluded at 4pm. Since then there has been an invitation to walk a section of the route with the VicRoads people at a date still to be decided.

Coast and Creek Booklet

The Coast and Creek booklet has been printed and copies have been placed at the front desk of the Council Chambers with Kingston Council’s approval. It is planned to place some in the Parkdale Library and in some schools if they are interested. There is some concern about the Mornington Peninsula Freeway crossing Mordialloc Creek because of disturbance of acid sulphate soil that will occur during construction work with pollution entering the creek.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 4th November 2015

Correspondence

Nina has compiled submissions to Council re Henwood Cottage due to be further developed. This is one of Mordialloc’s oldest buildings formerly a fishermans’s cottage. Nina has also responded to the proposed 64 unit development of timber yard land in Albert Street, Mordialloc. The public has been invited to comment on Plan Melbourne Refresh.A submission has been sent from MBCL. While there appear to be improvements in some areas these are countradicted further on. For example while councils have to decide where Residential Growth Zones are to be located councils also have to protect existing dwellings in these areas. Difficult to achieve in high density activity centres surely.

Victorian Environmental Assessment Council

VEAC is inviting submissions for a Draft Proposals Paper for an Historic Places Investigation. Subs close 22 December. An opportunity to learn more about this investigation on December 10 at the Royal College of Surgeons, 240-290 Spring Street, Melbourne . Ph 1800 134 803.

Sustainability Fund-Priority Statement

Use of Victoria’s Landfill Levies – what will we invest in they ask . One possibility would be to spend the levies on restoring the green wedge land in preparation for the GW to become the long awaited Chain of Parks in the sandbelt area.

Green Wedge Coalition Meeting

Green Wedge Coalition Meeting recently at RMIT was attended by two MBCL members. Unfortunately the wedges are being nibbled away in the Northern areas particularly but also in the South East around Cranbourne. Fortunately a new member who has worked as a planner has joined the Coalition. Work continues on Yammerbook Reserve Stage 2B with extension of paths connecting to the Long Beach Trail. Work is to commence in the industrial estate on the northern side of Mordialloc Creek above Wells Road Bridge .This will involve creating wetlands by removing the bank as has been done upstream in Waterways Residential Estate. The Herb-rich Grassy Plains Wetlands will be “mostly saved”but Malelucas further to the east will be lost unfortunately. It has been suggested to Kingston Council previously that a bike path constructed on the south bank of Mordialloc Creek, from Wells Road Bridge to Bowen Road, would be an improvement on the present track which is actually a Melbourne Water maintenance track below the level of the levee bank with views of the back of houses. This track becomes waterlogged in wet weather whereas if the track was constructued on the levee bank itself there would be views to the Dandenongs and bird life in the wetlands.

Further Green Wedge News

Walter reported on a meeting -Peninsula Speaks, where he spoke about the South East section of Green Wedge with different problems to those of the Mornington Peninsula GW. Walter also attended Environment Victora’s AGM and was impressed with the attendance -150 mainly young people, some professional . Also suggested that instead of the Government building the unnecessary Mornington Peninsula Freeway Springvale Road be used if yet another road is required.

Beaumaris Fossil Cliffs

It has been suggested that Victoria should have a fossil as a logo as some other States have. Murray Orr, who has acquired many fossils washed up on Beaumaris sea ledges, is checking to see if local schools would be interested in promoting this scheme. It seems unlikely that the fossil cliffs and sea ledges could be included in the Historic Places investigation currently underway even though the cliffs are on Crown land.

Another attempt at nominating the cliffs for Heritage listing will be made in November.

Port Phillip Conservation Council

AGM had an interesting speaker from Deakin University whose subject was the importance of wetlands, seagrass and mangroves as a means of absorbing blue carbon- more effective apparently than forests of trees. Therefore the destruction of mangroves and seagrass through dredging and filling wetland marshes for development is unwise and wasteful.

Mordialloc Surf Life Saving Club Landscaping

A meeting Thursday 19th November, proved to have a better outcome than anticipated. Two new Council staff were found to be as keen as MBCL to retain as much foreshore vegetation as possible even. An ugly, rusty iron fence around a boardwalk was a disappointment but it may disappear to be replaced with a more sensitive material. A further piece of good news was the decision by council planners to route the final section of Kingston’s Bay Trail back-of-kerb from Bay Street car park to the Scullin Reserve- that is along part of the 1984 shared bicycle/pedestrian path from Renninson Street car park to the Scullin Reserve! This may mean removal of some of the mature trees along this section of the trail unless the path can be split around them.

Broken Hill Runs Out of Water

Sunday Age 22 November reports that very soon the outback town will run out of fresh water from the nearby lakes for the first time in any-one’s memory. With rain unlikely in late January the last water that can be treated conventionally will run out . After that the town will need to switch to bore water.

When full the seven lakes that comprise the Menindee Lake System –ephemeral natural lakes hold three times more than Sydney Harbour. Now they are virtually running on empty. Cotton farmers further north are being blamed by some locals- others blame the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The Darling River is now a muddy trickle also and the only sign of water in Lake Menindee- one of the largest lakes is a mirage.The public also believe that at one stage the NSW Government was planning for Broken Hill to move from surface water to bore water. It is possible that with so much fracking occurring in NSW is also depleting the lake, rivers and bore water -something that Victoria will have to watch if fracking begins in this State.

Well Folks We’ve Come to the End of Another Busy Year

Try to have a restful break over the holiday period without too much stress so that you can come back next year invigorated ready to done the armour and battle the foe- I.m sure there’ll be one to battle.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 5th August 2015

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.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservaton League – Minutes – 7th July 2015

Draft Flood Management Strategy

Melbourne Water invited submissions for their Draft Flood Management Strategy –Port Phillip and Westernport. Infrastructure upgrades are planned to minimise flood risk especially on the vulnerable eastern side of Port Phillip Bay which has been subject to severe storm surges and flooding since European settlement. Climate change and increased urban development in middle ring suburbs of Kingston has put greater pressure on drainage systems. MBCL has prepared and forwarded a submission the MW Land Development Team.

Green Wedge Land

Once again defenders of the South East Green Wedge are indebted to Barry Ross for his professional defence and success at VCAT. An application for rezoning land to provide for horse agistment, if approved, could have resulted in future subdivision of the blocks for residential development. The Defenders are anxiously awaiting the Planning Minister, Richard Wynne’s,decision on Alex Fraser’s application for a further fifteen year lease for the concrete crusher works on Heatherton Road. This win will provide a valuable precedent for other VCAT Hearing in future.

Union of Australian Women

The speaker at a recent meeting of the Southern Branch of the UAW was the former member for Mordialloc, Janice Munt, now working for a Minister whose portfolio is dealing with family violence. Disturbing facts and figures were presented to demonstrate the increase in the community of this problem. Details can be found in the UAW (Vic) , August 15, newsletter presented by Mairi Neil.

Next meeting of the UAW at Mordialloc Neighbourhood House will be August 15th @ 2pm. Speaker will be Pauline Brown, Labor for Refugees.

National Heritage Places

Deakin University Researcher , Dr Paul Carnell, a Marine and Freshwater Ecologist, will be speaking at Rickett’s Point 22nd August. Matter under discussion is making a plan for managing a National Heritage Place such as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention and Australian Heritage Council Act 2003.

State Environment Protection Policy (Water) Review

A discussion paper State Environment Protection Policy (Water) Review included SEPP Waters of Victoria and Groundwater of Victoria. MBCL’s submission concentrated on the importance of protecting groundwater. For example in 1991 of Victoria’s 69,000 bores, over 24,000 were in use supplying sixty Victorian towns totally dependent on groundwater for domestic supplies. Today large potato and carrot producers near Murrayville and Kaniva are relying on groundwater drawn 24/7 from aquifers fed from the Murray Darling Basin. The demand for water in the South Eastern province will continue to grow as the Berwick/Pakenham Growth Corridor develops and future intensification of production, possibly from large foreign owned properties, will increase the demand for groundwater.

Groundwater from the Fyansford-Brighton Group Aquifers in the Southeast Province is considered to be a significant source of water to wetlands particularly to the Carrum Seaford wetlands and is therefore an important beneficial use worthy of protection. Groundwater is subject to the dynamics of underground flow from recharge to discharge areas and to chemical,physical and biological interaction with surface and subsurface environment. The rate of aquifer discharge depends on factors such as climate,vegetation cover and human activities, for example adding waste water contaminants from coal seam gas mining to the rivers and aquifers as is happening to Queensland Rivers and the Great Artesian Basin as a result of fracking. Resource depletion occurs when there is over pumping resulting in confined and unconfined aquifers allowing intrusion of inferior quality groundwater from another aquifer, lake or sea.

REFERENCES FOR GROUNDWATER AND AQUIFERS

  1. “Foolish planning forgets about food.” Age Editorial 25 May 2012
  2. Leonard,John. Port Phillip Region Groundwater Resources- Future Use and Management

Department of Water Resources, Victoria p.250

  1. Great Artesian Coal Seam Gas Risk in the Australian 7 November 2011

Port Phillip Conservation Council

AGM at LongBeach Community Centre Speaker will discuss the importance of wetlands as a means of absorbing carbon. Watch for date of this important event MBCL members would be welcome as we are also members of PPCC!

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th August 2014

Correspondence

Nina, Stephen, Mary – Objections to deviation of Bay Trail off the gravel verge onto foreshore Crown land at Mentone Lifesaving club to provide parking for MLSC patrons.

Wal and Megan – letters to the Chelsea, Mordialloc Mentone News re proposal to have land rezoned land for residential development in Kingston’s Green Wedge. The Government may not deliver a decision until after the State Election.

Meetings Galore

With an election in 100 days groups have been formed to highlight important environmental issues. Frankston rail line will be severely disadvantaged if the Liberal Govt’s Metro plan is approved. Trains will run from South Yarra to Spencer Street rather than around the loop.STOP, Victoria First, Get Up and Environment Victoria have all been active in the South East electorates.

Mordialloc Masonic Hall

Lengthy discussion about possible profitable uses for the hall . The upper level could be divided into smaller spaces for meeting rooms, leaving the ground floor for more displays, craft markets, U3A or musical activities.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 4th June 2014

We’re Back!

Melbourne’s winter has driven some of our members OS – and more are planning to join the exodus during August. Others are temporarily interstate. Some were incapacitated during July so the meeting was abandoned. Never-the- less a careful watch was kept on council activities. One of councils dubious activities has been the disbanding of the 10 Village Committee system of monthly meetings – operating successfully for 20 years. Originally established by the Commissioners at the time of Council amalgamations the committees were a means of keeping councillors informed about local issues and for the members of the committees being informed about forthcoming projects by the presiding officer present. Some councillors saw the Village committees as a threat to their authority, and despite “consultation”, are determined to introduce a system where members are encouraged to join existing groups. This will limit consultation and information to one area only rather than the broad scope of the present system.

Correspondence

Nina has compiled a comprehensive critique of Council’s proposal to review their policy of commercialisation of foreshore and parkland. This is because of the old catch cry “but it’s not being used”. The previous policy stressed that activities on the foreshore should be water related only.

Nina, Stephen, Mary and Port Phillip Conservation Council have all made submissions to Council’s proposed route for the Bay Trail. Unfortunately council have allowed the Mentone LSC to continue to park on part of the trail alignment along side Beach Road thus forcing the trail onto the narrow cliff top-only 9 metres wide at this point where the cliffs are subject to erosion.

Mordialloc Surf Lifesaving Club

The draft policy is for a new building, to be sited on the highest point on the foreshore – a pleasant grassy sand dune. The artist’s impression is of an exceptionally ugly building which will be used mainly to store surf boats and equipment at the ground level with rooms and a observation point on the upper level. Most competitions take place at surf beaches.

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