Events for your Diary

March
  • Sat 16, 9:30-10:30am: Love our Streets, meeting at Edwards Park, corner of Dow & Liardet Streets
  • Thu 21, 6pm: BCNA Community Dinner

  • April
  • Sat 6, 9-10am: Beach Patrol, meeting at Princes Pier
  • Sat 20, 9:30-10:30am: Love our Streets, meeting at 109 tram terminus

  • May
  • Sat 4, 9-10am: Beach Patrol, meeting at Centenary Bridge Pylon between Station Pier and Port Melbourne Yacht Club
  • Sat 18, 9:30-10:30am: Love our Streets, meeting at Olive’s Corner, corner of Bay & Liardet Streets
  • Latest News

    You can use the search options at lower right to find specific items.

    Monday 26 October 2020

    Volunteers Needed for Air Quality Monitoring

    The BCNA recently signed a Letter of Agreement with the EPA to participate in a Citizen Science Project. This project was explained earlier in our April 2020 Newsletter. The BCNA’s role in the 3-year project is to identify ‘hosts’ for the monitoring equipment, to report on data collected and to work with the EPA in reporting on the project.

    We are now seeking volunteer hosts from the following areas: Orcades Mews, Morley Street, Morley Mews, Australis Circuit, Canberra Parade, Canberra Mews and Swallow Street (between Orcades Mews and Australis Circuit) and Hobsons Bay Parade. This is the area most affected by emissions from cruise ships and the Spirit of Tasmania ferries.

    The EPA will provide, install, maintain, and insure six sensors for the project. The sensors are small - approximately the size of a hand. They are placed in an external area, such as on a handrail, pergola, or gutter. They need access to power and Wi-Fi. Residents who agree to host the equipment sign a Letter of Agreement with the EPA. If you are interested in hosting a sensor, please contact the Secretary at secretary@beaconcove.org.au.

    Activating Bay Street

    The Port Melbourne Business Association (PMBA) is researching ideas to make Bay Street more attractive to visitors and residents.

    An early outcome from work to-date is the suggestion to close a section of Liardet Street between Bay Street and Lyons Street to create a community Square. The Square could be used for activities (e.g. yoga, slow movement, kids’ gym) and entertainment, all designed to attract visitors. The street closure would be for a six months trial.

    The BCNA supports this work by the PMBA. The BCNA has written to Council expressing in-principle support and encouraging Council to work with PMBA to examine the feasibility of the Square proposal.

    If readers have views about this subject, or the Square proposal, they should contact the President of the Port Melbourne Business Association at paul.littmann@gmail.com or Peter Smith, CEO, City of Port Phillip at ceo@portphillip.vic.gov.au.

    Sunday 18 October 2020

    BCNA Annual General Meeting

    The BCNA’s Annual General meeting (AGM) this year will be a Zoom Meeting. It will be held on Thursday 5th November 2020 at 6.30pm.

    Reports plus a link for the Zoom meeting have been sent to financial members. If you have not received the reports yet, it may be because you are unfinancial or that you have changed your contact details. Please contact the Treasurer (treasurer@beaconcove.org.au) to check.

    The Guest Speaker will be The Mayor, Bernadene Voss. Bernadene is not contesting the forthcoming Council election. The Hon. Martin Foley, MP has been invited to provide a brief report on local issues.

    Sunday 11 October 2020

    Council Election Pledges – Late Submission

    The responses to our candidate questions closed on Tuesday 6 October, however we received a late submission from the following candidate:

    Friday 9 October 2020

    Council Election Pledges – Late Submission

    The responses to our candidate questions closed on Tuesday 6 October, however we received a late submission from the following candidate:

    Thursday 8 October 2020

    Council Election Pledges

    The BCNA contacted the eight candidates for Gateway Ward on Saturday 26 September and invited them to respond to two questions by Tuesday 6 October. The first concerns the Waterfront Place precinct and the second on Fishermans Bend.

    Responses regarding Waterfront Place precinct are as follows:

    • Heather Cunsolo and Earl James emphasised the importance of the area as a gateway to our city for cruise ship visitors. It also has a valuable leisure focus for the local community.
    • Heather Cunsolo supports the development of a precinct plan and the work by the Victorian Planning Authority so long as it is resourced appropriately by the State Government and has buy in with local stakeholders.
    • Earl James, Peter Martin, and Sami Maher believe the City of Port Phillip should ensure the community’s voice is heard in any redevelopment.
    • Sami Maher believes that the State and Federal Governments should be involved given the that it is an international terminal.
    • Peter Martin believes the redevelopment should attract both local and other visitors and encourage visits to Bay Street. The plan should be done in conjunction with a similar plan for the revitalisation of Bay Street.

    Responses to the question on Fishermans Bend are as follows:

    • Peter Martin believes the City of Port Phillip has “dropped the ball” on planning for Fishermans Bend and that the current governance model has been ineffective. Sami Maher believes the project needs to be managed by the Victorian Government through the establishment of an authority.
    • Earl James believes there should be an early commitment to funding and building a tram line. Heather Cunsolo believes public transport is the key but needs funding.  
    • Heather Cunsolo and Sami Maher believes there is a financial risk to ratepayers.
    • Earl James believes the Victorian Government has the financial capacity to determine the direction of the project.

    To see the detailed responses from each candidate, click on the following names (listed in order of receipt):

    Marcus Pearl, Trina Lewis, Stan Gyles and Cleo Papageorgiou had not responded by the deadline for this post. We will post their responses when they are received.

    Candidate statements and responses to a standard Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) questionnaire are now available on the Nominations page of the VEC website.

    Finally, the Southbank News has an article on five of the Gateway Ward candidates which you may find of interest.  It is on page 22 of the October edition (click here to download the PDF).