Darebin Appropriate Development Association

Dear DADA Folk,
We meet on Tuesday night and attached is what we discussed and planned to try an prevent inappropriate development in Darebin.
Hope you can join the fight to protect our community.
Happy reading.
Maria
DADA

• 20160628-DADA-notes

Darebin Appropriate Development Association: Protect Your Community
Inc. No. A0094111Q
Web: https://www.darebinada.org

Meeting Notes: 28th of June, 2016
Present: Marion Coffey, Keith Coffey, Maria Poletti, Mandy Baird, Sally Mendes, Craig Walters, Chris Erlandsen, Cathy Audley, Susan Davies, Frank Caputo, Susan Rennie
Apologies: Stewart Midgley, Meryl Waugh, Kevin Audley

1. Business Arising:
a. 137 Mansfield Street, Action: Meryl to write to Darren Rudd after DADA is incorporated regarding the work of the council representative. The letter will have DADA imprimatur.
b. Sally suggested we go to town planner courses and ask if final year students will do pro-bono work on behalf of objectors. Action: Sally
c. Suggested corruption by developers asking for specific members to hear their case and that somebody should collect the data and talk to the papers. Action: Maria to contact Lucas Clay from the age to ask if he will do the research.
d. Meeting with the Mayor, CEO, Manager of Finances and Manager of Planning on the 21st of April. Meeting discussed. Suggested that council prepare a checklist so that we can more easily see what the application holds. An example for feedback was circulated. Action: Maria to add suggestions. Done. Meryl has started a spread sheet to help breakdown planning applications so we can more easily assess planning applications.
e. Sale of Education Department land in Reservoir; Follow-up Action: Keith followed up with Robin who said they are interested in supporting council to buy the land. Follow up meeting with Latrobe Ward Councilors and politicians. Seems to be agreement that council will buy. Also a meeting to drop fast tracking the sale. Keith spoke to his submissions to planning panels. Hopeful that council will procure the land. In addition it looks like the old Preston Girls Scholl will be a new co-ed school at a peppercorn lease.
f. Paypal account: Action: Craig will set up Paypal account and link it to the bank account.
g. Managing Residential Development Advisory Committee:
Follow-up Action: Keith to ask a question around the schedule and indicate that other councils had much longer to speak. Action: Maria to send Keith a copy of schedule. Handed over at meeting.

2. New Business:
a. Data from minutes of Planning Committee Meetings: Mandy will have data finished by next meeting.
b. DADA how to vote forms; a bit of a rethink changes suggested and discussed. Maria to make changes and bring back for further discussion. Include bar graphs to visually represent data.
c. Discussion of the increased frequency of reverse living in planning proposals and the way council votes on this.

3. From the papers:
a. Preston Leader; June 7th, Front page quotes on the development proposal at 830 Plenty Road.
b. Darebin Update, autumn 2016, from Nelson Alexander with pricing stats for Darebin.
c. Nightingale development at Station Street, it was passed by council even though there was no car parking included. In the conversation section of the paper included positive and negative views on the development. $37,000 from developer to monitor who owns cars and where they are parking and the impact.
d. Short stay boom in the new developments.
e. Lot consolidation where neighbours are getting together and selling their properties as a lump to developers. This gives them more money per square metre.
f. Pace development in High Street, Thornbury, includes some three bedroom apartments.
g. Late night property TV show covered a development on the Junction, 9 High talked up as already having sold the three bedroom dwellings planned. No mention of how many that was.
h. Casey Council also has a watchdog because they are the most secret council in the state.
i. Darebin Council did not participate in the customer satisfaction surveys again.

4. Finance Report:
a. $30 in the bank. Action: Craig to find and bank missing $50 from membership.

5. Objector Updates:
a. 425 Plenty Road, June 10th VCAT sent an interim order.
b. 13 Dean Street, going to VCAT in November.
c. 27 Murphy Grove, at VCAT July 11th, more new plans arrived 27th June. Relying heavily on an expert witness who will talk about neighbourhood character.
d. 314 to 316 St Georges Road, a lot of extra objections, Neighbours found DADA site and made good use of the material provided.
e. 71 Miller Street, Thornbury, rejected unanimously at last night’s meeting. Congratulations to the residents involved.
f. 22-24 Knox Street Reservoir, 79 objections so far but still working on gathering more, including from renting neighbours. Folders of photos and statements in development for Planning Committee meeting which may be 8th of August.

6. Other Business:
a. Fencing Legislation: Craig offers help on fencing legislation, he is apparently well versed. b. Council Election Planning: Suggestion of direct action at the Market and Northland. c. Refusal Notices: Chris is going to sort into according to planner responsible. d. Meeting at Northcote Town Hall, organized by DCAN. Questions on building of the high-rise towers, directly impacting the environment. Some candidates buck passed to state government. Good answers to questions included, from the renewable energy party who said it was a valid issue given the reduction of trees by 70% in Australia.

Next Meeting: 7.00pm, Tuesday the 12th of July at 33 Dean Street, Preston | Post