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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 5th March 2008

Forthcoming Events

Introduction to Environmental Law Workshop (EDO) Saturday 19 April 2008 9.30pm – 4.00pm South Yarra Senior Citizens Centre 65 Toorak Road West, South Yarra. Course Entitled Tilting at Windmills? Kingston’s Growing the Foreshore’s Future Planting Days Saturday 7th June 10am – 1pm Chelsea Pier and Sunday 22nd June 10am – 1pm The Glade Bonbeach foreshore.VCAT Planning Consultative Forums 13 October 4.30pm – 6.00pm 55 King Street, Melbourne. This session is for Community Groups and may be interesting since under the proposed New Residential Zones for Victoria residents will be denied to opportunity to take their objections to VCAT in most instances. See Janelle House KRAMMED President Letter in the Independent 25 March. 2008.

Thanks

To Nina and Johanna for attending the council meeting to discuss an historic walking trail for Mordialloc, thanks also to Johanna for attending the mediation meeting at Parkdale Yacht Club re extension of liquor licensing hours. Nina, Johanna and Mary raised an issue, in differing but relevant quarters, concerning patrons of a hotel parking illegally on Attenborough Park. Bollards have now been installed to prevent parking on the grassed areas under the cypress trees but are still parking alongside the creek – an area of parking supposed to be for boat owners servicing their boats moored in the creek Finally, Many Thanks to members who generously donated to Blue Wedges campaign fighting fund.

Waterwatch

Nina reports that Melanie has the water quality testing kit and anticipates that testing could commence in late April. MBCL members have been allocated an area between Bowen Road and Wells Road bridge.

Mordialloc Creek’s $8 Million Splash

Kingston Council and Melbourne Water propose to spend $8 million dollars dredging and widening the creek to Wells Road bridge to provide access for small boats according to the Leader 25 March. This would involve removing the little island now a bird habitat and refuge and removing the phragmites regarded by some proponents of the scheme as “weeds”. Dredging would inevitably destroy much of the revegetation work carried out by the NRA team, Friends groups, school groups and funded by Alinta and Exon over many years.

New Zones to Speed Up Development

Please read the letter from KRAMMED carefully and make a submission to the discussion paper by April 18th. It is likely that in the near future we will all have three or four storey developments next door to us and won’t be able to object since the rights of residents will also be removed by the Minister for Planning , Justin Madden MLC

Federal Member for Isaacs

Mark Dreyfus contributed to discussion about the proposal to dredge the creek to provide access for small boats ( larger boats inevitably) up to Waterways since there is also a proposal for Melbourne Water to continue the wetlands from Waterways residential estate to Wells Road. Deals are being done with owners of industrial land adjacent to the creek to create the wetlands. Dredging upstream of the bridge will deepen this section of the Main Drain to 1.6 metres to allow salt water to move upstream and will mean that boats will be able to row, paddle, motor or jet ski up to Waterways. Will there be a change in the ecology?

VCAT Hearing for South East Melbourne Recycling, Kingston Road Clarinda

Barry reported on this case. Alex Fraser is trying again to establish a concrete crushing plant in the green wedge. The Minister called in this application two years ago and should do so again since there are health implications from the dust from the plant. A school is situated across the road from the proposed site.Hearing 23rd June 2008 at King Street.

Mordialloc Historic Walking Trail

Nina reported on the meeting but was disappointed that the consultants weren’t prepared to accept environmental sites for the trail – Aboriginal and buildings only to be included. Nor will there be any plaques to commemorate buildings lost to development. Eg the Coffee Palace and picture theatre, etc There will be a bronze horse erected in the horse paddock in recognition of the race horses who were taken to swim in the sea opposite Bay Street. There will also be a bronze boat on the Pompei site.

Groves Reserve

Who owns it? This Banksia woodland should be protected from rabid developers and kept in memory of a councillor, State politician and a firm believer that every boy should have a trade. As a Minister Groves fought to have at least one technical school in the area from Frankston to Caulfield. Caulfield Technical School opened in 1922. There is a Frank Groves wing in Caulfield Institute of Technology ( now Monash University) a fitting memorial to Frank Groves.

The Grange

Penny reports that the tip workers are coming closer to the feral fence but have agreed to move 30 metres away to prevent damage to the fence Rowan Woodlands is now a sub-committee of Dingley Village Association. Smart move! Braeside Park held a star gazing 6th March Waterways Estate A meeting will be held at the Nest on Water café April 5th 10.30-12.30pm!

Channel Deepening

The dredge will commence dredging at the Heads in April. Re-reading notes from the SEES the POMC expert witness, Don Raisbeck admits that rock fall from hydro-hammering in the Great Ship Channel will continue scouring the floor of the channel for 30 years and in so doing will deepen the channel thus allowing more water into the Bay on each tide.The effect of higher tides will be to alter the hydrology of the Great Sands and erode beaches on the peninsula. POMC who are doing their own monitoring announce that they are not exceeding environmental constraints. They would say that, wouldn’t they?

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League Inc.

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 1st November 2006

Environment Defenders Office

Native Vegetation Law Workshop Following discussion with Verity who is organizing the workshops it was decided to hold over the workshop until February 2007. EDO staff are prepared to conduct the workshop all day Saturday because they believe best value can be obtained over a longer period

Forthcoming Events

Friends of Bradshaw Park Working Bee will be held 10 am Saturday 16th December- weeding followed by a Christmas break-up BBQ!
Coast Action Coast Care Community Seminar 6th December 7pm-9pm at the Port Phillip Eco Centre, St Kilda – if you have the energy after the MBCL meeting!

Peter Scullin Reserve

It is obvious that the dry weather has played havoc with the revegetation program on the Scullin Reserve. Most of the metre tall she-oaks have died and groundcover plants are missing from their plastic shelters. The vandalized she- oaks, cut down Easter 2006 have not been replaced .The excuse given is that trees planted elsewhere on the Reserve compensate for vandalized trees. Council officer responsible claims that groundcover and trees are watered fortnightly. Clearly that’s not enough plus the fact that the shelter belt of coast wattle is no longer surrounding the Reserve to offer protection.

Parkdale Plaza

Judy reported on the residents meeting to deal with issues resulting from semi-trailers now exiting into Melrose Street and turning right into White Street thereby causing congestion in this busy arterial road. VCAT gave permission for the traffic movement despite Council’s objections.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 1st Feburary 2006

Guest Speaker Tricia Phelan

Tricia Phelan from Power to Change was guest speaker at the February meeting. Power to Change is a joint initiative of Environment Victoria, Climate Action Network Australia, Native Conservation Council of NSW, Greenpeace and WWF. The campaign is focused on local action and seeks to work with local communities in Melbourne’s south east for the next two months. Solutions are outlined in the campaign such as helping people to change over to Green Power which is the brand for Government accredited renewable energy products. The introductory letter from the campaign organiser stated:- “MBCL has demonstrated a commitment, among other things, to protect foreshore vegetation in the area. We are concerned about the impacts of climate change on the foreshore and hence we would like to work with MBCL to heighten local awareness about these impacts. ” For further information c/- Environment Victoria 9341 8116

Drills Land

Comprehensive minutes of the Drill Land committee meeting 7th February were tabled. Remarkable progress has been made in establishing a lake and creating an island. Unfortunately funding is not available to complete Stage 2 in the next 3 year plan. Plans for completion are ready and supported by Melbourne Water at a cost of $50,000. The committee will explore other avenues for necessary funds.

Landscaping of the Peter Scullin Reserve

Removal of under storey in the Reserve is concerning. Members inspected the site and decided to request a meeting with the council officer responsible for the project. Under storey is to be removed before the annual two day Wine and Food event March 18 despite the landscape architect recommending that no vegetation be removed before replacement plantings are in place. While the proposal to plant extensively with Banksias is welcome, these trees are slow growing leaving the area exposed for visitors to the foreshore on the other 363 days of the year.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd March 2004

Guest Speaker – Mr Norm Bury

Guest Speaker was Mr Norm Bury, member of the Clayton South Village Committee. Norm out- lined the background to the sale of part of the Heatherton Park in 1999, despite the fact that the land was bought and paid for on behalf of ratepayers under the previous City of Oakleigh Council, to operate as a land fill area, until such time as it became settled and would then return to the people for public use.
“The original commitment given to the people of Kingston by its elected councillors was, that the operations in which dealings of this municipality would be carried out by Council would be transparent in their entirety, and full consultation would be the cornerstone of its partnership with the people of Kingston.”
While the Heatherton area was to become part of a Chain of Parks once the tips were filled slabs are now being built over the filled tips and industrial development is occurring on the sites. “Will this mean that filled sites will be sold for development rather than become the Chain of Parks?
Who is watching over our parks to ensure that they are not being sold for development as is the case with six small parks in Clarinda ?

541 Main Street, Mordialloc

The VCAT hearing for the five storey development proposed for the old police station site ran for four days from the 22-25 March. Five residents presented submissions requesting a two storey height limit. Community opposition to high density development and support for retention of heritage buildings and neighbourhood character was reflected in the 1250 signed pro-formas collected in the days preceding the hearing. Unfortunately State Government pressure for high density in-fill development as required under M2030 will preclude a VCAT decision acceptable to the community and a precedent will be set for 4-5 storey development in the rest of the commercial centre and creek precinct. MBCL Treasurer made a contribution towards the fighting fund for the campaign. Sincere thanks to the handful of members/residents who letter boxed, held placards, gathered signatures, sent e-mails, telephoned and prepared submissions. No thanks to elected representatives and bureaucrats who fail to support communities seeking to defend their residential amenity.

Kingston Conservation & Environment Coalition

Meeting 30th March issues discussed were:-

  • KCEC to organise a full day community conference devoted to the state of Kingston’s environment. Speakers and community group displays to be encouraged.
  • How effective is Council’s policy of dealing with cars parking on, and damaging, nature strips?
  • A policy for planting sustainable trees and vegetation in Kingston to counter a predicted temperature rise due to global warming accompanied by a decline in rainfall.
  • An amendment to Kingston’s open space policy to prevent small parks being sold for development.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th October 1999

Residential Strategy Workshops

J.Eggleston and F Rimington attended the Workshop, October 13th, at Moorabbin Council Offices. Neighbourhood Agreements and Covenants places the burden of protecting residential amenity on residents. The process is time consuming and difficult to achieve in streets with 30 plus houses.

The Parks

Braeside Park rangers have been reduced to three. There were formerly eight rangers. Rangers now work seven days a week and in summer, from 7am to 8.30pm. An article recording these facts in the Friends of Braeside Park newsletter was picked up by the local paper and resulted in the Friends being asked to attend a meeting with the upper echelons of Parks management to ‘please explain’. The Parks persons angst may be premature given that the ALP policy on OUR NATURAL ASSETS states that Labor will “Properly resource and expand the role of park rangers”. and “Defining the role of park rangers as including environmental management and the provision of education and interpretive services.”

Excel’s Visit

Tony Collins, Team Leader Natural Resources for Excel has 14 natural resource areas to anage. He explained his plans for giving advice and assistance to Friends Groups in Kingston. He will attend MBCL meetings on a bi-monthly basis to answer questions and meet on site when necessary. MBCL’s role may be mainly monitoring the Creek and foreshore natural vegetation areas. Will query status of Attenborough Park /responsibility for South bank of the creek?

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