Residents talk art

Development Victoria provided a briefing to the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) on the state government’s arts precinct transformation last month.

The project’s director Hannah Clement presented at SRA’s annual general meeting (AGM) at the Malthouse Theatre on July 25, providing insight into the progress that has been made to date.

With the project still in its early stages, the presentation was largely an overview of what was to come, but Ms Clement told residents that planning was well advanced.

“This will not be another Federation Square,” Ms Clement said. “It will be a garden space that Melbourne doesn’t currently have and will be lots of things to lots of different people.”

Development Victoria has also established its project office at the former Carlton United Breweries building on Southbank Boulevard, which will be home to the new National Gallery of Victoria Contemporary (NGV) as part of the transformation.

The AGM was well attended by locals, with president Tony Penna providing a detailed account of what had been another busy year for SRA. With submissions made to the City of Melbourne on a number of initiatives over the year including the draft budget, amendments 308 (urban design) and C305 (heritage) and council’s transport and waste strategies, the SRA continues to provide a strong voice for our community.

The response from locals was so positive that the new committee received a total of 12 nominations for the 2019/20 financial year, with positions to be determined at a meeting on August 7. The new committee consists of Tony Penna, Dan O’Keeffe, Marcus de Rijk, Artemis Pattichi, Joanne Vanselow, Ciaran Ashe, Jennifer Fletcher, Mike Gaertner, Clair Richards, Renee Russell, Richard Drew and Laszlo Kucharszki.

Long serving member Lynne Lumsden was awarded life membership on the night for her efforts with researching and writing the association’s history. Unfortunately, with Lynne absent through illness her husband David received the award on her behalf.

southbankresidents.org.au