Another big year for the local community

2016 has been a big year for SRA.

I can barely believe this is the last newspaper column for the year.

Please allow me to begin by wishing our members and avid readers a very merry Christmas and healthy and happy New Year.

2016 has been a very productive year and we couldn’t have achieved what we have without a dedicated group of volunteers.

As such, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our committee which has worked tirelessly to get us to where we are today.

A few of my personal highlights for the year include two trivia nights, an abundance of submissions to council and State Government and a very successful meet the candidates event.

We also celebrated the first birthday of our Southbank Owners Corporation Network (SOCN) which has grown from strength to strength with a doubling in membership.

In November we welcomed the induction of the new committee and joined the fight against an overdevelopment at 135 Sturt St.

Fortunately council sided with the residents and also agreed it was an overdevelopment and voted against recommending the application to the planning minister.

Let’s hope the minister thinks the same.

It was heartening to hear the Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, comment that even a 40 metre height limit in the Southbank Village/Arts Precinct area was too high.

Unfortunately the Lord Mayor can do very little to change this, but he certainly has the power to lobby.

Talking about development standards, the big news for the month is the sign-off on C270 Amendment.

While we didn’t get everything we asked for on behalf of Southbank residents, (in fact we got very little) we can safely say, without a doubt, that our concerns were heard.

We threw everything we had into our submission and the assistance of a consultant was well worth our while.

The outcome is disappointing, but the C270 Amendment was too important an opportunity for us to stay passive.

I will be hoping the minister sticks to the new rules and you can guarantee we will be there to keep them honest.

I’ve seen many residents in Southbank decorating their windows and balconies for Christmas and the light displays bring our community such joy.

We’re looking forward to the free Boyd community Christmas barbecue on December 10 and hope to see as many Southbank residents there as possible.

There will be plenty of fun and entertainment and we’ll be there with our SRA booth and a festive hamper up for grabs so please come by, say hello and buy a raffle ticket or two.

Finally, for me personally, this has been a very rewarding year and as our new committee settles in,

I’m excited (and honoured) to lead us into 2017 and tackle some exciting projects in the future.

Until next year, stay safe and have a Merry Christmas and a festive and Happy New Year.

Tony Penna President