A Bloc of Four and Cast- Returned to the City’S Top Job by Voters for Her Ing Vote on the New Council
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November 2020, Issue 102 The Voice of Postcode 3006 and Montague 见 26 页 southbanklocalnews.com.au Forever Free Twitter @southbank_news Building boom brought into sharp focus for Montague residents Residents of a Montague apartment building have complained about being encircled by construction sites without warning. They said incursions into their lives caused by the precinct’s construction boom were unacceptable. words by Meg Hill BUILDING to the Minister for Planning Richard Wynne’s office, she was redirected back to the City of Port Phillip. Montague Towers, situated on top Southbank News has seen photos of a storage facility at the corner of of cracks in one resident’s apartment, Montague Street and Normanby Rd, which the residents believe may have is home to around 50 residents. It is been caused by the construction surrounded by three live construction activity. sites – the R Iconic, the Normanby The Montague Towers building is and the Oakwood. protected by a heritage overlay. It was Residents told Southbank News formerly the Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre construction was happening six days Co building. a week from 6am and causing their Another resident, Brian Kelly, Southbank Promenade and South Wharf burst back into life during the Spring building to shake. They said trucks said he was a Vietnam War veteran That’s freedom! Racing Carnvial as many of our much-loved venues reopened to Melburnians regularly blocked driveways and road and suffered from post-traumatic Photo by John Tadigiri. making the most of their long-awaited freedom. Continued on page 7. access, and that the high concentra- stress disorder (PTSD), which he said tion of workers in the area meant car- was triggered by the construction parking was often entirely occupied. vibrations. “I’ve been here about 21 months “It’s just ridiculous having to put now and when I moved here there was up when you want a peaceful life and Southbank Boulevard: the failed anatomy nothing in my conveyancer’s report you have this going on every day and about the volume of construction nobody cares about it,” he said. that was about to commence in this Montague Community Alliance of Melbourne’s most expensive park immediate vicinity,” said Montague (MCA) convenor Trisha Avery said Towers resident Helen Robertson. the area surrounding Montague “They’re working six days a week Towers had become the newest “hot words by Sean Car From what was originally costed at $15.9 million in from 6am and we don’t know if they spot” for construction-related issues COUNCIL AFFAIRS 2016, before being revised to $34 million the following have permits for that because no one this year. year, has now become one of the most expensive capital will tell us.” “The part of Montague that is east When a local resident cited the figure “$44 million” at works projects in the City of Melbourne’s history. And it’s “There’re tremours in the build- of Normanby Rd has had challenges a June 29, 2020 council meeting considering the City still far from finished. ing, there’s traffic chaos that the for the past couple of years but this of Melbourne’s annual plan and budget, it put what has It’s also the project that appears to mark the beginning tradespeople are causing by parking part, which is west, has only just become Melbourne’s most expensive park at Southbank of the end for its mastermind in the City of Melbourne’s in all the side streets blocking our started to develop,” she said. Boulevard into stark context. now former director of city design Rob Adams. A council driveways.” “These kinds of problems for res- While the monumental failure of the council’s vision spokesperson has exclusively confirmed toSouthbank “This is going to go on for four or idents will occur at various pockets to transform half of Southbank Boulevard into a park is News that Mr Adams is being transitioned to a part-time five years and when we started asking around Montague all the time – last well-known, and acknowledged by the council itself, the role after 37 years at the city. the [City of Port Phillip] council year it was the Thistlethwaite and sheer waste and mismanagement has never been fully So, how did it all go so horribly wrong for the council? questions around what our rights are, Ferrars [streets] area; previously it understood. Dr David Hamilton, a long-term Southbank resident they basically have no response – they had been Gladstone St; now the hot But since the council recently confirmed an updated to- with an impressive professional background in govern- say the construction has Ministerial spot has moved on to Montague St.” tal costing, which forecast a revised total project spend of ment, planning and economics, is the local figure who approval, so it has nothing to do with As reported in the previous edition $47 million, Southbank News has sought to uncover more flagged the $44 million at the council meeting in June. them.” of Southbank News, the Montague of the project’s chequered history. Continued on page 7. Ms Robertson said when she wrote Continued on page 5. ELECTIONS, PAGE 02 PLANNING, PAGE 09 ARTS PRECINCT, PAGE 15 BUSINESS, PAGE 21 Sally Capp is back as Big tick for new park at Arts Precinct to benefit New Woolworths at A Lord Mayor B Southbank Promenade C from “summer package” D Melbourne Square Scan to enquire Your Southbank Property Experts Contact us today for a free, no obligation rental or sales appraisal. 9696 8869 | [email protected] | melcorp.com.au Victor Chung Hayley Baker Trish Destito Taylah Vella Sergio Lopez The Voice of Postcode 3006 and Montague 2 Sally Capp is back as Lord Mayor CONTACT words by Sean Car elected to the nine councillor positions. Suite 108, 198 Harbour Esplanade ELECTIONS Incumbent Kevin Louey was re-elected on Docklands 3008 the Team Capp ticket alongside new councillor southbanklocalnews.com.au and Liberal Party member Roshena Campbell, Tel: 8689 7980 Incumbent Lord Mayor Sally Capp has been giving the Lord Mayor a bloc of four and cast- returned to the city’s top job by voters for her ing vote on the new council. EDITOR first full term on council following the City The Greens’ Rohan Leppert was also re-elect- Sean Car of Melbourne local government elections on ed alongside new face Dr Olivia Ball, who PUBLISHER October 24. replaces the retiring three-term Greens coun- Hyperlocal News Pty Ltd Ms Capp and her new Deputy Lord Mayor in cillor Cathy Oke on the new council. ABN: 57 623 558 725 Labor Party member Nicholas Reece defeated Liberal Party member Philip Le Liu was also closest challenger Arron Wood and his deputy re-elected on the Nick Russian-led unofficial ADVERTISING candidate Lisa Teh on the two-candidate pre- Liberal ticket. Hyper-local print works for advertisers ferred count 53 per cent to 46 per cent. Team Arron Wood’s Jason Chang, Jennifer in our digital world because local people With results officially announced by the Your new look City of Yang’s number one councillor candidate and are interested in local news. Victorian Electoral Commission on November Melbourne council CFMEU representative Elizabeth Doidge and To sell to the Southbank community, 4, nearly two weeks after the election, Team the Labor Party’s first endorsed councillor in contact Jack Hayes on 0401 031 236 or Capp recorded nearly 28,000 primary votes in Royal Mail Hotel owner and North Melbourne [email protected] an election which saw the largest ever partici- resident Davyyd Griffiths were each elected. pation from voters. Lord Mayor But perhaps the biggest shock was the sur- Reader contributions are welcome. While The Greens polled more than 1000 prise election of independent candidate and Send letters, articles and images to: votes higher on primaries than Team Wood on Sally Capp Docklands resident Jamal Hakim, who despite [email protected] the leadership ballot, the distribution of prefer- recording very low on primaries, snuck home ences saw Mr Wood narrowly pip The Greens on preferences. The deadline for the December/January on two-candidate-preferred to climb to within While early predictions had seen Team Capp edition is December 3, 2020. seven per cent of Team Capp. Deputy Lord Mayor elected with a bloc of five, its vote would dip SOCIAL MEDIA The newly-elected Lord Mayor said she was late, meaning its third indigenous candidate TwitterFollow us on Twitter honoured to lead Melbourne again. Nicholas Reece Mark McMillan, ultimately wasn’t elected as @SOUTHBANK_News “With counting concluded, I am honoured the first Aboriginal councillor in the City of to have the opportunity to continue to lead Melbourne’s history. FACEBOOK-SQUARELike us on Facebook Melbourne,” the Lord Mayor said. Liberal Democrat candidate and Southbank Southbank Local News “We face a big challenge to revitalise Councillors resident Paul Silverberg was also in the running Melbourne after the devastation caused by the for a spot on council, having recorded a large instagramFollow us on Instagram COVID-19 pandemic. This will be a big job – Kevin Louey number of dummy Liberal voters but, he too, @southbanklocalnews and I promise that you can count on me and my missed out (Southbanker — page 18). team.” Rohan Leppert As well as Mr Wood, councillors from the Opinions expressed by contributors are not “We will work day in and day out to ensure previous term who ran in this election and necessarily shared by the publisher. Jason Chang that Melbourne once again becomes the eco- Davyyd Griffiths missed out include Jackie Watts and Beverley hyperlocalnews.com.au nomic engine room of the state and the nation.” Pinder, who both depart the council having [email protected] “I’d like to congratulate everyone who was Roshena Campbell served consecutive terms.