Dear DADA folk,
Please find attached my notes form the last DADA meeting. I hope they make sense!!
Stay warm,
Maria
Meeting Notes: 8th of July, 2015
Present: Marion Coffey, Keith Coffey, Maria Poletti, Craig Walters, Mandy Baird, Chris Erlandson, Meryl Waugh, Sally Mendes, Apologies: Lina Mastroianni, Laara Eames, Stewart Midgley, John Gunson, Louisa Ennis
1. Business Arising:
a. Golden Guys seem a popular idea but not at the moment, perhaps another time. Chris has suggested we go to council with the idea of an award for best sustainability practice Action: Chris to research other councils and bring back ideas to us to then take to council. Scrap book idea for DADA web site where people can send in photos of poor development, before and after shots, basic details like address, developers names, details of faults, what is planned.etc. Action: Maria
b. Council flooded with planning applications; Action: Nola sending a further letter asking for some clarification of money collected and spent. Action: Maria to seek out FOI process.
c. Question to council about developers recycling as many materials as possible. We will begin to talk and form more ideas on the quality of demolition as well as the quality of the build. Action: Craig will formulate and ask questions at a council meeting.
d. For the Blog, before and after photos, Gone but not forgotten, RIP houses, Action: Craig to send photos to Maria.
e. Discussed other city councils plan for buying up houses to eventually convert into public open space. Action: Maria to do more research to bring back to the meeting. Stonnington Council
f. Preston Market: Action: Craig to look at special meeting video and bring back to next meeting. Salter Group are the developers. Ask questions to Council regarding the discussions with the minister about Preston Market.
g. 748 to 750 Plenty Road, 4 stories, 22 apartments with some at 40 square metres. Action: Mandy to keep an eye on it.
h. Community Consultation in the development process – are there any precedents for making this compulsory? Kelly suggested a community consultation process where developers have to meet with the community in consultation before the planning application is submitted. Action: Kelly and Maria to work on basics of a community consultation process to bring back to meeting and to go to council.
i. What to do about the 470 High Street development – while it’s still going through the approvals process, workmen have been on-site undertaking preliminary works (are any developments fully stopped?) on an assessment of compaction. In mediation, last month, Action: Kelly to follow up with council planner on the mediation outcome.
j. 672 Plenty Road, revised plans adding a story making it 4 at front, 5 at back, Action: Mandy and neighbours will send new objections on the amended plans.
2. New Business:
a. C152 Meeting with planners report. 6 DADA folk meet on Friday the 3rd with Darren Rudd, Manager City Development, Greg Hughes, Principal Strategic Planner and Sophie Jordon, Strategic Planning, to discuss the changes in Amendment C152. They asked for our support by lobbying Richard Wynne and Robin Scott. Also asked to encourage DADA folk to do the council survey on the YourSay website.
Action: Maria to draft and circulate a letter to the Planning Minister. Agreed to meet with Robin Scott.
Action: Keith to ask Robin for a meeting. Letter can go to both in the meantime. Discussion of lot consolidated sites over 1000 square metres or 1200 square metres. Also the interface is a
concern that it isn’t integrated. Action: Craig to ask D Rudd about footprint on consolidated blocks and the status of garage versus car port.
b. Meeting with Minister: Discuss draft ideas. Shared DADA feedback from Kelly and Jeanette. Presentation to the Minister attached.
3. Council Report:
a. Herald sun article today, MAV criticism of Councilors Greco, Fontana and Tstitas, over misconduct and breeching the code of conduct. Greco and Tstitas have been asked to apologize to each other.
b. Council overseer report to the Minister for Local Government. Report emailed to network and letter circulated as a draft to Minister in response.
c. Two new council overseers appointed and we will keep a track.
d. Transport community consultations meeting held in 3 venues, council considering a traffic and transport report. Tightly controlled and limited in the feedback sought. Had Have Your Say stations where folk could make suggestions. Chris went to the planning desk and spoke to the officer about poor quality materials used in developments and was told in this consultation process that he was wrong. This reflects poor quality treatment of residents in consultations where officers will argue a point rather than hear it in the consultation process.
e. Street Tree Meeting with council, also a consultation with 3 facilitators. At least we weren’t told we were wrong but we were not given any assurances that they would take any notice of what we said. Offered a reduced rate of removal and want to start cutting and replanting in July.
f. Consultation for the oval opposite Northland. Asking folk about what should happen to the oval that is earmarked for possible housing and a sports stadium. Have your say on all of these things on the Darebin website here: http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/en/Your-Say/Have-Your-Say/Your-Say
4. Other:
a. SOS newsletter circulated and attached to minutes.
b. Winston Churchill- 18th of May, 1951 in a speech made in Glasgow said “Good housing is the first
of the social services. Bad housing makes more disease than any health service can cure”
5. Press:
a. Leader – Julia Irwin, Zones for higher protection
b. Sunday Age; 5th of July, Affordable homes also same day Council Catching Undersized Apartments.
c. Age, June 10th, School blasts increased density.
d. Leader, letters, Northcote character under threat, More Studies are needed.
e. Domain, July 5th, Bigger Homes now thin on the ground.
6. Objector Updates:
a. 629-631 Plenty Road, VCAT win. Follow-up letters to Councilors regarding the implications of the win to C137. Darren Rudd response to Maria circulated. Chris reported that the members were not happy about how the opposing lawyers selected past decisions to make their arguments. It was clear to the objectors that the council reps were not fully prepared.
b. Mansfield Street, James Livingston representing council, not picked up the file 4 days prior to the VCAT hearing. Luckily hearing postponed so more time to work on presentation.
c. 153 Wood Street, Action: Craig to send objection to Maria for send to network. Done
7. Planning Alerts:
8. Strategy Ideas 2015
Next Meeting: 7.00pm, Wednesday, August 5th at 33 Dean Street, Preston