Restoring the council’s presence in Montague

So, we’re back in lockdown – we hope you are all doing well and supporting local Montague businesses as often as you can.

Supporting each other is a precious gift we can provide to our community. Before we were locked down, Progressive Port Philip – another local community organisation that is very active across the whole of the precinct – held a meeting on Sunday, May 16 at the Liardet Street Centre.

All of the City of Port Phillip’s Gateway Ward (which includes Montague) councillors attended and we were very grateful they did.

It was a very interesting conversation that covered a wide range of local concerns. I was invited to facilitate the meeting.

The issues being most relevant to Montague are the need for better local communication about the developments and other relevant community amenities during times of significant growth (such as now) and how to manage well during those times.

Prior to 2020 and the outbreak of COVID-19, the council and the Fishermans Bend Taskforce had confirmed they would seriously look at having a physical presence in Montague.

It would seem a physical or communication presence could be an adjunct to the already existing ASSIST – the City of Port Philip’s community assistance program, which has all the infrastructure in place to perform a substantive role in supporting the local Montague community.

However, to our disappointment we understand that, in fact, rather than growing this service, it will be reduced in that the ASSIST office in South Melbourne (where Montague sits) is to be closed.

It is too late to add to the City of Port Philip’s forward planning, but we would encourage you to contact the Gateway Ward councillors (their contacts are on the City of Port Philip’s website) to ask them to provide alternatives to how Montague residents and businesses can be supported.

What the council and the state government are doing ...

They are in final stages of service planning for the Fishermans Bend Community Hospital! Alfred Health and local stakeholders have partnered with Victorian Health Building Authority to develop the plan which will provide a framework for how services will be delivered.

This includes working to identify a preferred site for the hospital and the assessment of a range of options against their selection criteria. 

As our precinct is part of the Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Area, you might like to have your say on heritage listings in the Area.

This is a City of Melbourne initiative for its part of Fishermans Bend, which includes the Lorimer and Employment Precincts.

City of Melbourne Planning Scheme Amendment C394 - Fishermans Bend In-Depth Heritage Review 

This will be exhibited from June 3 until July 8. The City of Melbourne will also be nominating the West Gate Bridge and Boeing site to the VHR but this will occur outside of the amendment process.

You can find out more about the amendment, how to get involved, and view relevant documentation on the Participate Melbourne website at participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/amendment-C394

And finally, please follow the state government guidelines to remain COVID-safe, and dear Montaguans (if you are eligible) please get vaccinated! •