Panel Hearings on the Kingston Municipal Strategic Statement
Panel hearings will be heard at the Kingston Council Chambers, Moorabbin, from March 16 to 22 April 1998. These hearings are open to the public and should prove a valuable insight to possible planning changes in the municipality.
MBCL will be presenting our submission to the panel on Wednesday 18 between 12noon – 12.30pm.
Submissions will include representations about the rezoning of Beach Road to RDZ1.
The Parks
Braeside Park is under extreme pressure as the number of rangers have been reduced by three. There are now only five rangers available, therefore a number of activities have been curtailed. For example guides are no longer provided for school groups. Instead kits are sent to schools so that teachers can conduct their own tours! There will be no more train rides. Water quality analysis of the Dingley Drain, formerly a major source of leachate pollution in the Park, will not be carried out by rangers. Therefore there will be no monitoring of this drain. Weeds from the non-urban areas south of Mordialloc Main Drain and on the Hains property, are invading the Park- The most serious noxious weed is Pattersons Curse.
There is concern about the health of the river red gums which may be affected by the rising water table, an excess of fertiliser, cattle compaction or a virus.
On the positive side a new car park has been installed, as well as rabbit proof fencing. The plant propagation program has been so successful that there are many plants for sale to councils if they are interested.
Karkarook Park was officially opened by Marie Tehan, Minister for Conservation. No expense was spared although the hard working committee wasn’t invited!! Thousands of small recently planted trees were burnt. An expensive post and rail fence has been moved to allow a car park to be built for Hardware House next door to the park. The Park will lose 30 metres of parkland to enable the car park to be built!
Acid Sulphate Soil at Braeside
It was discovered recently that acidic soil from the City Link tunnels and Coode Island has been dumped as fill for industrial development south of the Woodlands Industrial Estate adjacent to Settlement drain which flows into Mordialloc Creek. The EPA is carrying out tests on the soil.