Well the results are in - despite a sterling effort, sadly we didn't gain any further ground at VCAT.
It's worth remembering we are still significantly better off with the latest plans than we were to begin with - I think this development is something we can all live with. Regardless, we gave it a damn good shot, and can take comfort we did everything we possibly could. Our advocate John Glossop really got his hands dirty and presented our case beautifully. Sad it didn't pay off in the end, but we now have some valuable experience under our belt. Unfortunately this will not be the last major development on our doorsteps.
I look forward to future rounds of late night scheming and red wine with you all! Thanks for a very memorable journey.
We're settling up our bills over the next couple of weeks and will be in touch to give a full account of expenses incurred and any remaining funds.
If it's okay with you all, I suggest we continue to use the Merri Community Group as a means for communicating with each other on various matters that affect us all. The Local Area Traffic Management Plan that Councillor Trent McCarthy kicked off with Council will invite our involvement soon, but the first order of business should be organising a get together to mark a welcome end to this particular chapter!
Warmest regards,
Mike Flattley
