It's Time to Return River to Birrarung by Sean Car
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SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE 89 PRICELESS WWW.SOUTHBANKLOCALNEWS.COM.AU : SOUTHBANK_News The voice of Southbank, South Wharf & Montague ■ Reece: precinct plan needed ■ Southbank's secret rainforest Page 3 Page 12 ■ Crown takeover ■ A dream life Page 7 Southbanker - page 22 Sustainable September Sustainability has taken over South Melbourne Market this month. Now in its third year, Sustainable September has returned to our local market with a month-long program of fun and informative workshops, activities, cooking demonstrations and tours, with plenty of ideas to inspire sustainable living. And to kick-start the month, City of Port Phillip Mayor Dick Gross and councillors Tim Baxter and Bernadene Voss (pictured) helped launch a new BYO Cup Campaign on September 1 by unveiling new takeaway coffee cup recycling stations, adding to the market’s long list of sustainable practices. Southmelbournemarket.com.au It's time to return river to Birrarung By Sean Car “We renamed Uluru from Ayers Rock. I would love us to rename it [Yarra River] Birrarung, but that’s my personal view” - Kate Nagato, Melbourne Water. While an unsurprising number of big Melbourne Town Hall to contribute to its development of her “Greenline” vision – an set the tone for an afternoon of more “big ideas emerged out of the Yarra River “Big future vision. initiative aimed at linking green spaces along ideas.” Ideas Forum” last month, there was one the river’s banks (particularly Northbank) – Moderated by Arup’s Mark Rowland, a pertinent theme that rang true among an Having expressed her own desire for “big has gained growing notoriety. panel featuring the City of Melbourne’s overwhelming number of its participants on ideas” for our city at a YRBA function last It’s an initiative that the City of Melbourne director of city strategy Claire Ferres Miles, the day. year, the Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s sense of Parks Victoria CEO Matthew Jackson and passion and ambition for reimagining what has adopted as part of its new City River Melbourne Water’s manager of innovation Presented by the Yarra River Business our river could offer Melburnians was largely Strategy and the kind of thinking that and resilience Kate Nagato helped kickstart Association (YRBA) in partnership with what inspired last month’s forum. underpinned the forum’s central purpose. planning firm Arup on August 15, the Sharing some of her own insights in a discussion. river’s major stakeholders all converged on Since being elected Lord Mayor, the typically uplifting opening address, Cr Capp Continued on page 4. 2 SOUTHBANK LOCAL NEWS ISSUE 89 50 car parks to go Security works Preliminary works to improve public security on The City of Melbourne is Southbank Promenade have proposing to remove all commenced, after the City diagonal car parking from of Melbourne conducted Suite 108, 198 Harbour Esplanade Kavanagh St and replace it PO Box 23008 Docklands 8012 “service proving” this month. Tel: 8689 7980 Fax: 9602 2929 with parallel parking – a move www.southbanklocalnews.com.au questioned by the Southbank Angled parking is to be removed from Kavanagh St. According to the Yarra River Business Association (YRBA), the works involved Editor: Sean Car Residents’ Association (SRA). “I am not sure a 50-park reduction is investigation of underground services beneficial to the community’s needs,” he at specific sites along the promenade, to Publisher: Hyperlocal News Pty Ltd The decision to remove 50 car parks is said. “While I am in support of a safer cycling prepare for imminent upgrades. ABN: 57623558725 part of the council’s transport strategy for experience for our cyclists, I would like to In the coming months the council, Tel: 8689 7980 Fax: 9602 2929 Southbank, which will see new separated hope there is another way forward.” bicycle lanes installed on both sides of working closely with the state government [email protected] With Boyd Park and stage one of Melbourne Kavanagh St. and Victoria Police, will begin installing Square to be completed later this year, Mr Reader contributions are welcome. long-term security measures along the The plan to transform Kavanagh St has long Penna said removing all parking was not Please send articles and images to popular walkway. been earmarked as part of the council’s consistent with the community’s vision to [email protected] master plan for City Road, in an effort to transform Kavanagh St into a central street. According to the state government, divert cyclists from Southbank Promenade security works include physical Deadline for edition 90 is October 3. He said SRA believed it would be beneficial via Balston St and through to new designated protections that will: to keep angled parking available on the bike lanes on Southbank Boulevard. southern side of Kavanagh St out the front of ■ Turn the whole promenade into a The Melbourne Bicycle User Group Melbourne Square. protected zone; CONNECT (MBUG) last year surveyed local residents Keep up to date with local news & events. “We will probably start to see the ground ■ Mostly consist of bollards, to provide in Southbank on the new bike lanes, which floor apartments become spaces of boutique protection while enabling people to Follow us on Twitter resulted in a proposal to remove 15 diagonal consulting and retail business. If this is move freely; and @SOUTHBANK_News parks between Power St and Southbank the case, then more rather than less street Boulevard; a proposal supported by SRA. ■ Will consider the needs of local parking would be needed,” Mr Penna said. Follow us on Facebook businesses, tram passengers and However, council’s new proposal, which To read Tony Penna’s full insights into the others. Southbank Local News it started consulting residents on this proposed changes, read his regular column month, would see all angled parking The state government launched a $50 on page 26. Follow us on Instagram removed between Balston St and Southbank million CBD security upgrade project @southbanklocalnews Boulevard – a move questioned by SRA What do you think? Send your thoughts to following the Bourke St incident in 2017. president Tony Penna. [email protected] Monday - 7AM-5PM Tuesday - 7AM-5PM Wednesday - 7AM-5pm Thursday - 7AM-Late Friday - 7AM-Late Saturday - 9:30AM-Late P: 9686 5015 | 215-217 Sturt Street, Southbank, VIC, 3006 Downstairs HP MAY2019_V1.indd 1 4/6/19 2:55 pm Please support our advertisers because without them we would have no Southbank Local News ISSUE 89 SOUTHBANK LOCAL NEWS 3 Reece: key precinct needs a plan director of developer Beulah International The City of Melbourne’s chair Jiaheng Chan, whose development on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and of planning Cr Nicholas Reece City Rd is currently before the Minister has started an important for Planning for approval, suggested that the establishment of a special planning discussion around the future committee might be appropriate. management of Southbank’s “A coordinated approach to the riverfront precinct between improvement of the precinct is key in the Southbank Promenade and future success of the whole city and state,” Mr Chan said. “A master planning committee City Rd. with representation from all key stakeholders and a robust consultation programme will Referencing the area incorporating Hamer lead to creative ideas for the improvement of Hall, Southgate, Riverside Quay and the precinct.” Freshwater Place, Cr Reece has flagged his “We have commenced a similar process intentions to establish a plan that manages with neighbours but would happily play a and coordinates development in the precinct leading role in any future committee. We with all stakeholders. think this will help to gather and focus all key He said that between its extensive public stakeholders, opening up direct discussion works program, which includes upgrades with the right people to continually improve to Southbank Promenade and Southbank this important precinct.” Boulevard, more private development and the state government’s transformation of the Southbank Residents’ Association (SRA) Arts Precinct, there was a lot on the horizon. president Tony Penna said that there was good logic to Cr Reece’s vision for the “In terms of the riverfront, we do know precinct, and that residents looked forward that there are a number of development to playing an active role in how the area’s applications that the city is likely to see over The City Road Masterplan, which is now to be mindful of the context in which they future planning took shape. the next 12 months and that could include three years behind schedule, also provides sit with the other buildings around them Southgate, ESSO House, the Beulah site and an important foundation for addressing whether that’s the galleries or the parks and “In principle SRA supports any such Queensbridge Hotel,” he said. connectivity and a desirable public realm promenades,” he said. initiative,” he said. “Owing to the massive – areas Cr Reece said had previously been projects and expected upcoming works in “That amounts to almost one kilometre of overlooked in Southbank. “The city would certainly like to see more Southbank, we question why it is only now prime riverfront in the centre of Melbourne pedestrian links from City Rd through to that such an initiative is being spruiked.” and that is something which the City of “I think that Melbourne is famous for its the river’s edge to make it as porous and Melbourne will be looking very carefully at.” streets, whether it’s the bluestone footpaths, pedestrian-friendly as possible. If we and “Any such plan, however it may look, needs street trees, high-quality street furniture and the developers get it right we can make to ensure that all stakeholders have a say, “We’ll be doing everything we can to leading design in our public spaces and I that stretch one of the most beautiful river especially the residential community.