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Time for a spring clean

Time for a spring clean

Spring has sprung and we’re entering the season of renewal and spring cleaning.

Who’s with me?

One thing I’m relieved to put behind me was the long-awaited Planning Minister’s C270 built form amendment hearing.

We were well represented by 10 Consulting and made a very detailed submission with some constructive alternatives for consideration and I’d like to personally thank Rob Milner for his efforts.

It was interesting to note we were the only residents group invited to present to the panel and for that I’m very proud.

Let’s hope the minister takes some of our points on board. We had a morale booster this month when the Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, attended our August committee meeting.

It was a pleasure to have him, and especially to hear that SRA is well regarded by council with a reputation for being fair in our submissions.

We pressed him on the topic of Boyd Park, reminding him of the community’s support for a park. Unfortunately he couldn’t give us any information on the outcome.

We’re expecting the decision any day now, and will announce it via our member newsletter and social media channels.

After leaving us with some advice on how to improve our influence and build on our success, and even a tip on how to qualify for more funding (thanks LM!) he left us all on a high. We’re currently planning three exciting and free public events in October and we hope to see you there.

Firstly, we’re collaborating with Boyd to put on another residents trivia night on Wednesday, October 5. Be sure to save the date in your diary and we’ll let you know as soon as you can register. Until then, feel free to start getting your team together and brushing up on your trivia knowledge.

(Any businesses wanting to donate prizes, please get in touch with our secretary at [email protected]).

By the time the next edition of Southbank Local News goes to print prospective candidates will have been announced for the upcoming local government elections.

We believe it’s important to provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions of the candidates and so we’re organising a “Meet the Candidates” event to be held at Boyd Community Hub on October 13.  Get your questions ready and check our Facebook page or the next edition of the local paper for more details. The most important event we’re planning at the moment is, of course, the Southbank Residents Association AGM on October 17. We’ve had a successful year and you’re all invited to come along and hear about it as well as what we have planned for the next 12 months.

We’ll have an exciting guest speaker and an announcement to make, so don’t miss out.

We’ll also be calling for nominations to join the committee, so if you’re passionate about your community and would like to join a team of friendly volunteers dedicated to making a difference, then we want to hear from you. Age and background is no obstacle.

In other news, Phase II of the Transforming Southbank Boulevard project has started and the council is calling for feedback on the “ideas plan” devised by the project’s officers. You might recall we (and many of you also) contributed to Phase I of the project and we encourage you to have a say again.

So head on over to participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au or register for the community forum this Saturday, September 10. And…. the submissions don’t stop!

The government has released its draft paper for the Better Apartments review and is open to submissions until September 19. Victoria doesn’t have any minimum standards for apartment design (unlike NSW) so this is our opportunity to provide feedback to stop the “dog box” designs that seem to be all too common of late.

This is a comprehensive and easy to read paper and I encourage you all to have a look and, if you think its necessary, also provide some feedback.

We’ll be making our own submission too. Finally, for all our valued members of SRA, please remember that it’s time to renew your membership with us. If you’re not a member, but have been meaning to join for ages, then now’s the time.

It’s only $10 per annum and you’ll be supporting an active and local not-for-profit community group.

Sign up at southbankresidents.com.au Until next month, enjoy the glow of spring.

 

Tony PennaPresident

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