Upon reflection of last year’s meetings with the inconvenience of the pandemic with which we have persevered and held our meetings this year.

Our areas of concern this year have been:-

Along the coast

Mentone Lifesaving Clubhouse.

This huge new structure that has caused great damage to the clay cliffs at Mentone right up to the around the bay bike track is nearly finished. It has been elevated to protect it from future storm damage inevitable with climate change weather and rising tides. Why was this structure with so few of Victoria’s population using it, for so few months of the year, at such great expense was passed by D.W.E.L.P. and Kingston Council at such great expense? It does not blend into the landscape as building along the foreshore are supposed to do.

Parkdale Yacht Club’s new bitumen parking on the cliffs.

This has been passed by Kingston Council and is to be developed. Again against D.W.E.L.P.’s ‘Marine and Coastal Strategy 2022’ and for use for the few, for a few months of the year and more hard surfaces while we are trying to stop hot air rising into the atmosphere. Our submission and letters to the Council were to no avail. Presentations to Council meetings will be the norm in the future.

Peter Scullin Reserve Play Space

Although we put submissions to Kingston Council this new construction has been passed with an increased footprint and more hard surface footpaths.

Peter Scullin Reserve- a new, large toilet block

Again, we fought against this with submissions but this has been built and the colour and mass are not subtle. This building stands out against the vegetation unlike the nearby Mordialloc Lifesaving Clubhouse Built to the ‘Siting and Design Guidelines for structures on the Victorian Coast.’ Let’s hope the new tree plantings will soften the impact of this building in years to come.

Along the Mordialloc Creek

Governor Rd. Boat Ramp upgrade and enlarged parking area

Kingston Council’s work in this extended parking area is starting. We need to keep watching this and the new design for George Woods Reserve through the new Mordialloc Creek Master Plan. Population pressure with the increased number of boat owners have demanded a bigger car parking area but thankfully no closer to the Mordialloc Creek. With M.B.C.L.’s vigilance this car park expansion has been kept to a minimum. We need to keep a watch the nearby ‘enhancement of George Woods Rese

Pompeii’s Landing Building Development

This four storey building has been approved by the Kingston Council but the permit to build will not be issued until a few issues can be resolved. Again, this huge building on the banks of Mordialloc Creek is not a desired outcome. Thank you to Nina and Rosemary and for your unstinting hard work on trying stop this massive, unsuitable building on the bank of the Mordialloc Creek, by the bridge. At least the Pompeii heritage will be preserved with these amendments.

Rainbow of Hope Sculpture in the Hazel Pierce Reserve

There was a lack of consultation with Mordialloc residents and is not a suitable sculpture for a natural foreshore reserve. Letters and submissions were written to the Kingston Council to object to this inappropriate sculpture. Port Phillip Conservation Council Inc., has written an excellent submission citing D.W.E.L.P’S  ‘Marine and Coastal Strategy 2022’ and ‘Siting and Design Guidelines for structures on the Victorian Coast 2020’ to Kingston Councillors. Hopefully in the future this sculpture will be moved to a more appropriate position.

Rubbish accumulation in Mordialloc Creek from drains

During very heavy rain periods this winter the rubbish traps have not been able to contain the rubbish coming down the drains from other suburbs. Melbourne water is looking into this contamination of the creek.

Kingston Green Wedge- Chain of Parks- Sir William Fry Reserve – SRL train stabling yards .

Throughout this year we have been supporting the Kingston Council’s and Kingston Residents Association action at V.C.A.T. to stop this invasion of our Green Wedge and Chain of Park. Unfortunately, we have lost at the Panel Inquiry but there is still hope at the Victorian election in November that this expensive railway line and train stabling will not be built.

Friends of Bradshaw Park

One of our member Friends Parks have been in consultation with LXRP representatives voicing their concerns about indigenous plants along the rail reserves being affected by the construction of the new Parkdale elevated railway station.

Also, the proposed bike path from Mentone to Mordialloc which will affecting the trees and lower plant vegetation along the railway reserves. These provide a highway and home for fauna and were devastated further along with the construction of the Mentone underground station.

More discussions will have to take place with the Kingston Council as to whether this pathway is worth the destruction of established trees.

In the future we must be aware of The Coastal Marine Management Plan and the Mordialloc Creek Master Plan when passed by D.W.E.L.P and Kingston’s new Housing Zones when these are all passed by the Victorian Government. They will invariably have effects on our natural and manmade environment.

Some of our members have been selected to be on Kingston Council’s Environment and Open Spaces Advisory Committee which will increase our knowledge and input to the management of these Open Spaces.

Finally, a big success story, Dent’s Paddock/Tarella Rd., bought by Council after a persistent campaign by our members, K.C.E.C and others. This was opened to the public at the end of October. The Council’s Bushland and Foreshore officers have presented a carefully prepared new park with great information about the original indigenous and later significant vegetation.

Brad Lewis, Kingston Council’s Team Leader of Bushland and Foreshore has enriched us with his monthly reports and shown support of our natural bushland.

I wish to thank all our members for their constant alertness and persistence in our environmental campaigns especially with the finally recognised by government, Climate Change challenging our natural environment.

Judy Fields