Street Party!

Well the results are in and everyone seems keen on spending our leftover $$ from the VCAT process on a street party. Given that applications to Council to close a street for an afternoon require a month or two's notice, it seems sensible that we make it around the Christmas season, or maybe a bit earlier.

Since I'm a hopeless events person, interest from party animals in getting this organised very welcome! Just contact me on the admin email address at the top of the page if you're interested and available, or just have some good ideas.

Cheers,

Mike

VCAT Outcome

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

Fundraising Success and VCAT Hearing

Hello all,

Thanks to everyone who has been able to contribute to our fundraising to take our case to VCAT. I'm pleased to confirm we've successfully raised the amount required and can now instruct our advocate, John Glossop, to proceed with our submission.

As mentioned below, the hearing commences on Wednesday, 23 June at 10:00 am and is scheduled to run for three days. If you have some time around this date, or are working in the city, please put aside some time to come in to view proceedings. It would be great if we could demonstrate to the Tribunal the broad support from residents for our push.

As stated in our emails to the group, our chief remaining concerns for the revised plans are for significant visual bulk presented to properties down the middle of the block between Union and Bridge Streets by the proposed apartment complex, and the major traffic impact on our local streets flowing from doubling our local population. When considered against concurrent traffic developments, such as the redirection of vehicles from High Street down Merri Parade to assign priority to the Bundoora tram, plus the single-lane status of South Park Street, we are looking at a major transformation of our precinct into a frustrating and dangerous tangle of vehicles. Let's keep our streets peaceful, safe and accessible.

38 Merri Parade - VCAT Hearing Date

Hello all,

The VCAT meeting date has been set: 23 June 2010 at 10:00 am, 55 King Street Melbourne (at VCAT). Three days have been allocated for the hearing.

In the throes of fundraising - letters should be with everyone by now. Any questions or worries, please email us at admin[at]merricommunitygroup.org.au

Cheers,

Mike

On to VCAT

Hello all,

A quick update: as you're no doubt aware, Darebin Council have rejected the proposal by Merri Merri Developments, who have now applied directly to VCAT to have the proposal approved, unamended. For all those who submitted objections to the Darebin Council, look out in your letterboxes tonight for a letter explaining the process from here. Email us if you would like further information.

Thanks,

Mike

Northcote Leader Article

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone who could make time to come pose for a photo to accompany the Northcote Leader's article a couple of weeks ago. Sadly the photo didn't make the printed edition, but it's available online for us to admire...



Posted here for convenience:

Units Project Fears by Suzanne Robson

A PLAN to build almost 100 dwellings on a Northcote factory site overlooking Merri Creek has alarmed scores of Darebin residents.

More than 70 residents have objected to the planned Merri Pde development featuring a five-storey apartment block with 83 units and 16 townhouses.

Melbourne developer Jack Haber said the “appropriate” development would be a “vast improvement” on the graffiti-laden factory warehouse on the Northcote site. Two townhouses would be apartments on the corner of Bridge St and Merri Pde. But residents said the “scale and density” of the development on a site about 3800sq m would have a “severe impact on the character and amenity of a neighbourhood made up of mainly one-storey heritage houses.”

Bridge St resident Mike Flattley, who lives next to the site, said future residents of the new five-storey apartments would be able to look into private backyards in Bridge and Union streets.

The planned development also wasn’t “appropriately aligned” to Merri Creek and didn’t effectively address the impact on traffic and waste management.

“If it was open to the parkland that would respond and complement (it),” he said.

“Development of the site is something we want to see but we want it to be appropriate development that responds to the character of the neighbourhood.”

Mr Haber rejected claims made by a Melbourne daily paper that he would buy ready-made apartments from China for the project.

Modular apartments were one option being considered, but he had not yet made a decision.

“It is an innovation that many people are considering,” he said.

“The Government is encouraging more housing and high-density development, particularly on main roads close to transport.”

Each town house would have car parks and the block of apartments would have a basement car park with 51 parking spots.

“We have designed the building so from all vantage points around the site the fifth-storey is barely visible,” he said.

Our Prefabricated Development

Hello everyone,

Looks like the development is likely to be constructed from modules built in and imported from China. Details in the following article from the Age: http://www.theage.com.au/national/on-the-takeaway-menu-soon-highrise-flats-20091005-gjed.html

Mike