Volunteering in our Community - SPDL Inc

Volunteering in our Community - South Port Day Links Inc.

South Port Day Links Inc. is a volunteer based community organization that has been operating in the South and Port Melbourne area for 23 years.

It is operated by a volunteer Committee of Management. We currently have five programs operating. The largest is our community transport program. This utilizes volunteer drivers to transport frail elderly people around the local area in cars supplied by the organization. Our other programs are PetLinks, WalkMates, GardenMates and InfoLink. The community transport program operates Monday to Friday and the other programs are more flexible.   A police check and reference check is required for all programs. This is undertaken by South Port Day Links Inc.

If you are interest in volunteering or know of people who would find the support programs beneficial please contact SPDL Inc.

For more information visit www.spdl.org.au and/or ring the Coordinator of Volunteers on 9646 6362. 

The Port Melbourne Triangle @ 1-11 Waterfront Place

The Port Melbourne Triangle @

1-11 Waterfront Place

SAVE YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD from OVER-DEVELOPMENT

Click here for a PDF version of the following.

THE ISSUE:

The original Mirvac Beacon Cove development included low rise community facilities at 1 – 11 Waterfront Place, comprising a gymnasium, swimming pool, crèche and convenience store along with the Tram 109 terminus.

There was an existing 3 level height limit (“Commercial and Leisure Precinct” section of “Beacon Cove Precinct Plan No 1”) on this building when the property was bought by the current private developers. As recently as January 2011 these height restrictions were supported by our Port Phillip Council in a submission to the Victorian Government.

In stark contrast Council’s recently released Draft Urban Design Framework (UDF) includes a high rise development on this site with 2 very substantial towers of 10 and 14 levels. Copy available at http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/portmelb-udf-draft-v21-091211.pdf

WHY DOES THE BEACON COVE NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION (BCNA) COMMITTEE OPPOSE THIS DEVELOPMENT?

 Our concerns about this high rise development include:

·         Overpowering domination of Waterfront Place, and destruction of the ambience of and vista from Waterfront Place, Beach Street and Park Square

·         Loss of community facilities and green space included in the original Beacon Cove plan.

·         Inconsistency with the views expressed by residents during the consultation phase, including through the formally established Community Reference Committee. Council’s draft UDF repeatedly emphasizes their commitment to consultation – but then chooses to ignore the advice that has been given.

·         Blocking of the vista of the city skyline and significant detraction from the first view of Melbourne for the increasing numbers of interstate and international visitors disembarking on Station Pier, (as evidenced in the above diagram which is taken directly from the draft UDF document).

·         Very significant increase in traffic movements and congestion around the intersection near the previous London Hotel and along Beach Street with consequent adverse impact on access and safety for all Beacon Cove residents and visitors to the area.

·         Failure to acknowledge low rise heights of buildings in closer vicinity. The draft UDF justifies the 10/14 storey height with reference to the height of the 5 Beacon Cove towers. The closest of these is a good 100 metres further along the waterfront. Why does the UDF not acknowledge the lower heights in the immediate vicinity (London Hotel and Beach Rd buildings to the East; heritage Railway Station, convenience store and low level residential/commercial buildings to the West)?

·         Complete lack of respect for the heritage status of the railway station which will be dwarfed by the towering building immediately adjacent to it.

HOW CAN YOUR VOICE BE HEARD?

 Council and Councillors have a responsibility to respect the views of their ratepayers.

BCNA will continue to lobby on this issue and it is vital that Council also hears from individual residents/families who share our concerns about this proposed development. To have your say:  

 Lobby City of Port Phillip Mayor and Councillors: 

      ·         Contribute to CoPP formal consultation process from 5 February – 9 March 2012

              “Conversation tent sessions” on: 

Saturday 11^thFebruary, 9:00 – 12:00 noon – Bay Street, outside Coles

                          Saturday 18^thFeb 8:30 – 11:30am at Gasworks Farmers Market

                “Community drop in session” (specifically about the draft UDF)

                            Wednesday 29^thFeb 4:30 – 7:00pm near tram terminus, Waterfront Place 

·         Submit your views to the “Have Your Say” section of the City of Port Phillip website http://haveyoursayatportphillip.net.au/  

·        Contact our local Councillor, Janet Bolitho, our Mayor Rachel Powning, Kay Rundle CEO, and Carrie White, Place Manager Port Melbourne, City of Port Phillip

             Email:jbolitho@portphillip.vic.gov.au: rpowning@portphillip.vic.gov.au  or
              mayor@portphillip.vic.gov.au: krundle@portphillip.vic.gov.au:
              cwhite2@portphillip.vic.gov.au
             Mail: The Mayor and Councilors, City of Port Phillip, PO Box 3, Post Office, St Kilda, 3182
             Phone: Councillor Janet Bolitho 0411 096 400

·         Attend and speak at Council meetings:

Ordinary Meetings of Council -Tuesday 14^th Feb 6:00pm South Melbourne Town Hall,

             and Tuesday 28^th Feb, 6:00pm, St Kilda Town Hall
             Statutory Planning Committee meeting – Tuesday 21^st Feb 6:00pm, St Kilda Town Hall


Publicise the issue through local and general media:

·         Contact our local newspapers- The Melbourne Weekly – Port Phillip

              Email: yourvoice@fairfax.com.au
              Mail: The Editor, The Melbourne Weekly, PO Box4569, Melbourne 3001

And/or “0pinion” Port Phillip Leader

              Email: theleader@leadernewspapers.com.au
              Mail: The Editor, Caulfield/Port Phillip Leader, Level 2, 636 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne 3004

·         Contact The Age

             http://www.theage.com.au/national/letters/submit

·         Contact The Herald Sun

              http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/letter

PLEASE discuss this issue with your neighbours and Beacon Cove friends and act now! 

BCNA Committee contacts:

Email: secretarybcna@gmail.com

President:             Eddie Micallef   0413 127 422  Committee Members:   Ro Holmes            9646 1961

Vice President:    Greg Mate          9681 7441                                                  Bob Harrison        9645 2115
Secretary:             Trevor Nink        0404 084 283                                            Robyn McKenna   9646 5259
Treasurer:             Dana Hlavacek   9646 8850                                                 Glenda Beale        9676 2151

3207 Beach Patrol - Beach Clean Sat 28th Jan

3207 Beach Patrol
Beach Clean Saturday 28th January 2012
Meet at Princes Pier at 9 am

Message From Tom Burrows

Hello Beach Patrollers - and Happy new Year 2012. the year is racing already!

I do hope you have enjoyed the festive season and a good break from routine.

The fine weather - and some storms - has produced litter - and our beaches really love the respect you show them by collecting litter for proper disposal.

We have our first Group Clean for the year coming up soon - Saturday 28 January 2012.

The Princes Pier is now reopened - so we can meet there and then move west along the First Point Beach.

9 am start - and new members - your bright blue t shirts await you!

Of course - you can always clean your nominated beach zone any time you like. We get quite a bit of feedback from people who see us at work - and our numbers are swelling each time!

all the best till then - and coffee n chat afterwards as usual

Happy 2012

Tom

The Piers Festival, Saturday 28 January

The Piers Festival

Saturday 28 January

Come along to the Piers Festival SATURDAY 28 JANUARY -FREE EVENT-a celebration of migration at Station Pier & Princes Pier in Port Melbourne

From the goldrush to wartime, from post-war migration to cruise shipping, Station and Princes Piers have played a pivotal role in Victoria’s growth and offered a gateway to the great diversity of cultures that enrich our community. Multicultural Arts Victoria cordially invites you and your community to join us at the Piers Festival.

Station Pier Cruise Terminal OPEN DAY from 12 to 4pm
Location: Cruise Terminal, Station Pier (the south end of the pier)

Learn about the history of the pier by experiencing the historical display put together by the ImmigrationMuseum
Witness the stunning images of the Blessing of the Waters ceremony held by the Greek Orthodox community at this site by local photographer Georgia Metaxas
Go on a journey through time with a stunning screening of Dall’Italia All’Australia (from Italy to Australia), impressions of the voyage of the SS Regina d’Italia towards the mysterious Orient and the fascinating Far South, filmed between August and September 1924. Live musical accompaniment by I Viaggiatori, comprised of ARIA Award winners Kavisha Mazzella and Irene Vella and three others playing romantic and earthy 19th century, Italian folk music.
Film Screenings at 12:30 – 1:30pm and at 2:30 – 3:30pm. Spaces to film screenings limited. RSVP essential by only to fiesta@multiculturalarts.com.au

Princes Pier Cultural Program from 1 to 9:30pm
Location: off Pier Street, Port Melbourne

World music and dance program, food and craft stalls, fireworks, tall ship Enterprize and lots more!
THE MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA …25 piece band with special multicultural guests
SOL NATION …reggae, samba, funk with a splash of East Timorese folk
MANASIS DANCE …Greek traditional dance for all to join in
THE LOST CLOG … Lithuanian harmonies with a dash of humour
BITSAT …authentic and soulful Ethiopian music
VERCHOVYNA ENSEMBLE …dynamic and colourful display of Ukrainian culture
ARTE KANELA …Australia’s leading flamenco music and dance act
SHLJIVOVITZ ORCHESTRA WITH SERBIAN DANCERS…Balkan tunes to get the heart pumping
TE HONONGA O NGA IWI …powerful Maori harmonies, haka and pois twirling
MEHTER OTTOMAN MARCHING BAND …powerful vocals and drums from Turkish community
VICTORIA POLICE PIPE BAND …playing many highland favourites for the Scottish & Irish dancers

More information: fiesta@multiculturalarts.com.au

Beacon Cove C73 Planning Scheme Amendment

Beacon Cove  Amendment C73 Planning Scheme of City of Port Phillip

On December 20th 2011 all property owners within Beacon Cove received advice from the City of Port Phillip that Amendment C73 had been gazetted, bringing Beacon Cove under the City of Port Phillip Planning Scheme.

Owners within the high rise precinct were further advised that the respective Owners Corporations would replace Mirvac as administrators of covenants and no further action is required on the part of such owners.

Owners within the low rise precinct were advised that covenants on title will require amendment to reflect Mirvac's administrative withdrawal from the Estate. Such amendment will require production of Title following further advice from Council. Mirvac, Council and Major Projects Victoria have agreed to fund this process providing their offer is accepted prior to February 29th by completing the form attached to Council's letter.

 Any questions should be referred to Sara Miletic, Senior Council Planning Officer, on 92096237.  

The Beacon December 2011

BCNA Newsletter December 2011

Click here for the pdf version

The Beacon
December 2011

The President and Committee wish all residents a happy festive season and a prosperous New Year.

Newsletter of Beacon Cove Neighbourhood Association Inc (BCNA).

BCNA aims and aspirations include providing a forum for all residents of Beacon Cove and abutting neighbourhoods to discuss key local issues with a view to preserving and enhancing the quality of life within the area.

This newsletter draws on the President’s Report from the October AGM with subsequent updates.

1-11 Waterfront Place

The major issue of the pending redevelopment of this site is still unresolved. The Committee believes that the future use of this site will be proposed by CoPP in the Urban Design Framework (UDF) which is due for Council adoption and release before the end of this year. BCNA has provided CoPP with a position statement on what is, and is not, acceptable development for this site – see BCNA Blogspot.

Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC)
In July BCNA responded to the Department of Transport issued a Discussion Paper on transferring the car trade to Port of Geelong. We await Government announcements on any implications for Webb Dock port traffic with whatever activity might replace the car trade next to us.
Improvements have been made in signage re access to Station Pier at the entry to the plaza area. Representations have been made to TT-Line and PoMC to relieve periodic traffic jams as travellers queue to board their cars onto the Spirit of Tasmania.
BCNA, along with Port People and Port to Port, meets twice yearly with PoMC and has addressed, largely favourably, a number of operational issues. The Committee wants to ensure resident interests can made known early in the PoMC planning process.
Committee members have met with the Honourable Dennis Napthine, Minister for Ports and also Minister for Major Projects (MPV) - to outline community views on our interface with the various Government departments in his portfolio.

Beacon Cove Planning Scheme Amendments C73 and C105
After four years of detailed work on the part of CoPP and a team of consultant planners, Amendment C73 was adopted by Council in July and approved and gazetted by the Honourable Matthew Guy, Planning Minister, in November. This amendment is designed to transfer the unique covenants and planning rules for the residential precincts within Beacon Cove to CoPP and establish a more appropriate planning approval framework now that development of the Estate is complete.
Separately Amendment C105 was approved by the Minister and gazetted in October. C105 makes CoPP the Responsible Authority to for all future planning issues for the residential and commercial areas within Beacon Cove, including 1-11 Waterfront place (the old gymnasium site).
Prior to the end of the year all property owners within Beacon Cove should receive detailed information on the amendments and advice on the necessary changes to title covenants.

Garden City Reserve (GCR)
CoPP required the Hobson's Bay Obedience Dog Club (HBODC)　to relocate to GCR from Murphy's Reserve after almost 50 years at that site. CoPP has plans to redevelop Murphy's Reserve and HBODC uses the location that is proposed for a wetland system. BCNA has worked closely with HBODC and CoPP to review all possible alternative locations and to ensure the transition has the minimum possible impact on residents. It should commence early in 2012.
Discussions were held recently on the access of Port Melbourne Primary School students to the east end of GCR as a regular playground. The community has few objections but a bigger issue is to provide more schools to cater with the fast growing population of children in Port Melbourne.

General Landscaping of Public Spaces
Completion of public toilets at Sandridge Beach have taken too long but are now progressed. CoPP have also budgeted for a shower to be constructed on Port Melbourne Beach for this summer.
After the trunk sewer works of Melbourne Water have now been largely concluded, the small park and grass area is being returned to the earlier road access domain between Swallow, Ross and Byrne Streets. This is a messy intersection but Council have advised that they have no budget to further enhance the traffic flows and residential amenity in adversely affected areas.

Social Activities and Plans
The BCNA Committee will be arranging another dinner at a local restaurant early in the New Year. In the meanwhile BCNA encourages you to attend the Picnic in the Park at Garden City Reserve on 11 December 2011 from 1.00 - 4.30 pm. This event is to celebrate the hard fought improvements over recent years. See the website at www.PortPeople.org.au for more information.

Port Melbourne Waterfront Urban Design Framework (PMW UDF)
The planning stage of the UDF process is drawing to a close as a recommended framework went to CoPP late November. We await release of this document for public discussion prior to year end. Once ratified, it will need to be turned into more concrete activities coupled with sufficient annual budget monies over the long term.
This will impact on 1 – 11 Waterfront Place and solutions to the traffic congestion, parking problems and poor pedestrian access around the entrance to Station Pier.

Fisherman’s Bend Proposed Long Term Development
This is a developing issue. The existing infrastructure is not capable of handling a substantial increase in population e.g. conflict between cars and trucks on Williamstown Road. There would need to be an effective buffer zone protecting residents from an expanded working port. Plans for new schools and extension to public transport would need to be drawn up. Any definite proposals from the Planning Minister must have a built in consultation process that take into account residents’ concerns.

Princes Pier
On Monday 5 December the Honourable Dennis Napthine, Minister for Major Projects, is inviting guests to view the structural refurbishment of the pier, the renewal of the heritage gatehouse and the initial public spaces on the new deck.
Plans for determining further suitable uses for the deck and gatehouse, and the permanent maintenance regime, are yet to be finalised between the community, MPV, CoPP and Parks Victoria.

Website presence at www.BeaconCoveNA.blogspot.com (amended)

We encourage all members to check out the site, hit Subscribe to receive new posts and provide BCNA feedback through the link. http://www.beaconcovena.blogspot.com/

BCNA Commitee 2011/2012

President: Eddie Micallef 9645 1185
Vice President: Greg Mate 9681 7441
Secretary: Trevor Nink 9681 8283
Treasurer: Dana Hlavacek 9646 8850
Member: Ro Holmes 9649 1961
Member: Bob Harrison 9645 2115
Member: Glenda Beale 9676 2151
Member: Robyn McKenna 9646 5259

BCNA 2011/2012 subscriptions – now due
Annual subscription $10 per household or Five (5) year membership $45 per household

Please complete details below and post with cash/cheque payable to "Beacon Cove Neighbourhood Association" to The Treasurer BCNA, Private Box 61, 103 Beach Street, Port Melbourne OR deliver to Private Post Box 103 Beach Street (behind IGA store, near notice board)
Name ....................................................

Address .................................................

Email address .......................................

Phone ...................................................

Cash/Cheque enclosed: □ $10 (1 year) or □ $45 (5 years)

BCNA expresses its appreciation to Martin Foley MLA for support to print The Beacon

3207 Beach Patrol Group Clean

3207 Beach Patrol Group Clean

From Tom Burrows.....

The next Group Clean is this Saturday 10 December at 9 am meet on Beach Street opposite the London Hotel

Greetings beach patrollers!

It is now one year since our happy group first assembled on a bright sunny day (yes - it was sunny!) to enjoy doing our little bit for a cleaner safer world.

Dressed in our bright blue t shirts we collected mega bags of trash before an enjoyable chat over drinks. In the past year I reckon we have collected over 500 kgs of litter - mostly plastic! What a difference.

Our summer clean this year - Saturday 10 December - is soon upon us.

Please come along for this anniversary clean - and feel free to invite friends and family!
9 am - on Beach Street opposite the London Hotel.

I look forward to see you then!

Cheers Tom

Celebration in the Park

Celebration in the Park

Community Festival at Garden City Reserve

Sunday 11 December 2011 1 pm to 4.30 pm

Picnic in the Park

Participate in the many activities

Meet your neighbours and local groups

Bring your friends and on-lead dogs

Click here for full details

Beach Patrol 3207 Group Clean Sat 12 November

Beach Patrol 3207 Group Clean Sat 12 November

..... message from Tom Burrowes

Hello Beach Patrollers!Spring is here well and truly - with changeable Melbourne weather stamping its usual spring mark!And so we rejuvenate Beach patrol - and what better way than a GROUP CLEAN. Many thanks to those volunteers out there in the blue t shirt doing the one hour per month - even in the cooler months!

GROUP CLEAN - Saturday 12 November 2011. Usual 9 am start.

I am thinking that we could start at the Port Melb Yacht Club - at the end of Bay Street. This is only a short stroll - and likely our clean will be towards Pickles Street.as usual - cuppa n chat afterwards.Love to hear from you - and please wear the blue t shirt and off we go as we head into summer!Bring friends and family - and I will have more t shirts for new members.cheers Tom

Ross has arranged for litter traps - so we can aim to inspect after for those interested.

Cruise Shipping Schedule for 2011/2012

Port of Melbourne
Cruise Shipping Schedule for 2011/2012

Click here to be taken to the Port of Melbourne website for up-to-date details of the cruise shipping schedule for this season.