Docklands Law Under Attack by Shane Scanlan Better Model and He Invited Docklanders to Come Along to the Future Melbourne Committee Meeting and Have Their Say
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FEBRUARY 2013 ISSUE 83 PRICELESS WWW.DOCKLANDSNEWS.COM.AU : Docklands_News Kevin Sheehan North Wharf plans assessed awarded OAM See page 2 See page 3 History lessons at the Wharves collapse Steam Tug Wattle See page 10 See page 9 Docklands law under attack By Shane Scanlan better model and he invited Docklanders to come along to the Future Melbourne Committee meeting and have their say. City of Melbourne offi cers want However, Mr Moore failed to reveal what state legislation changed to legislative protections Docklands would lose remove special support and if the law was changed. protection for Docklands. Docklanders agree with his assessment that the Co-ordination Committee meetings themselves had become “dysfunctional” and If successful, it would mean that they would “unuseful”. Th ey also support the emerging no longer have to report specifi cally on community forum model. But they fear Docklands fi nance, infrastructure and place losing the legislative protection the existence management. of the committee aff orded. Since 2007, Docklands has enjoyed special Docklands Chamber of Commerce President status under the City of Melbourne and Stephen Clement said he would urgently Docklands Acts (Governance) Act 2006. seek clarifi cation. He said the chamber Th e Docklands Co-ordination Committee wanted Docklands' special status retained (DCC) was created under the legislation, while it was incomplete. which compels the council and Places “It is the chamber's strong belief that Victoria to treat Docklands separately and Docklands should continue to be specially report on a range of matters. Lorraine Malkoun and her daughter Allanah celebrate Australia Day in Docklands. nurtured and developed," he said. Th e council is currently forced to budget Th e council is refusing to specifi cally say how separately for Docklands and its regular it wants the law changed until Friday, reports have consistently revealed multi- March 1 when the Future Melbourne million dollar rating windfalls over and Committee meeting agenda is revealed. Dinky-di Docklands above what it spends in the suburb. Among its place management roles for Co-ordination Committee chairman Cr What could be more Aussie than a pair of thongs? Docklands defi ned by the legislation are “the Kevin Louey said it was not the fi rst time that marketing and promotion of the Docklands offi cers had attempted to remove Docklands' Perhaps a good old-fashioned thong Esplanade in an attempt to reach a barge area” and “the attraction and staging of special status. throwing competition? located in the harbour. events in the Docklands area”. Cr Louey said he would support the retention of the committee, if that was While it may not be an Australian tradition Locals and visitors also enjoyed a sausage According to council’s urban design what Docklanders wanted. He said he was yet, it might soon be a Docklands one. sizzle by Woolworths, which raised funds for manager Rob Moore, at the March 5 Future the Royal Children’s Hospital. Melbourne Committee meeting, offi cers will surprised that the council had not consulted A throng throwing competition was one ask councillors to support a request to the on the matter. Th ere were plenty of activities happening of the highlights of the Australia Day State Government to change the law and Only a year ago, when proposing the new celebrations in Docklands last month. all day in Docklands including fi shing from “disband” the Co-ordination Committee. Harbour Esplanade, kite making at the community forum, the council promised Crowds gathered to take a shot at throwing Piazza in NewQuay and an animal farm at He told the Docklands Community Forum to keep the Docklands Co-ordination a thong from the waterside at Harbour Harbour Town. on January 30 that the new forum was a Continued page 2 What to do Where Where to to stay Eat /Drink Beauty, Health Docklands Where & Fitness Services to Shop 2 DOCKLANDS NEWS ISSUE 83 North Wharf plan Docklands Suite 108, 198 Harbour Esplanade law under PO Box 23008 Docklands 8012 Tel: 8689 7979 Fax: 9602 2929 www.docklandsnews.com.au to be assessed attack Advertising Continued from Page 1 Tel: 8689 7979 Fax: 9602 2929 By Bethany Williams [email protected] Committee but drop it’s frequency to just once a year. Reader contributions are welcome. Heritage Victoria is assessing the historical considerations of the Please send articles and images to At the time, the council said the [email protected] planned redevelopment of the heritage-listed Shed 5 and crane at Co-ordination Committee would continue to North Wharf. approve the place management, fi nance and Th e deadline for the March edition is infrastructure plans. February 28. And while Mr Moore clearly told the Asset 1 WTC wants to partially demolish January 30 community forum he wanted Shed 5 to make way for a 13-storey offi ce. Follow us on Twitter the DCC scrapped, a council spokesperson @Docklands_News Th e developer has proposed to turn the rest on February 4 said the committee would of the shed into a retail arts precinct and continue. Th e spokesperson said Mr Moore Like us on Facebook create a public park to its east. was on leave and could not be contacted to Docklands News According to Heritage Victoria, Berth 5, where clarify management’s position. the shed and crane are located, is signifi cant However, the spokesperson did agree that because it remains virtually unchanged since the offi cers wanted the law changed so To download our iPad app, it fell into disuse after the closure of river Docklands could be treated the same as simply scan the QR code below: access below the Charles Grimes Bridge other suburbs within the municipality. in 1975. “Th e DCC will continue to meet once a year A permit application for the redevelopment to endorse the annual place plan, however of the site was submitted to Heritage Victoria it is proposed that its statutory decision- last year and was advertised for public making powers – including those relating to comment in December. infrastructure, fi nance and place management – be transferred to the Future Melbourne Th e permit application was readvertised for comment in January after further Committee,” the spokesperson said. information was added to the application. Th e council and Place Victoria have no statutory obligations towards the Docklands Heritage Victoria is responsible for Boyd said the company had been in Community Forum which has so far been approving heritage permits required for the consultation with the mission since the successful in a participatory sense, but has redevelopment to commence. conception of the redevelopment. been designed as a two-monthly “talk and Berth 5 is located next to the historical Mr Boyd agreed that the vision of the mission listen” session. It has met three times. Mission to Seafarers building, increasing building from the park was a key issue. Agendas are single-page, whereas, in the the heritage considerations relevant to the He said the building was designed to frame past, DCC agendas contained sometimes development. the mission so that the view was not blocked. hundreds of pages of detailed reports. In a submission to Heritage Victoria, Mr Boyd said the issue of safe public access to Th e Docklands Co-ordination Committee the Mission to Seafarers Victoria (MtSV) the building was still being worked through. comprises the council and Places Victoria’s expressed concerns about the development CEOs and most senior offi cers and offi cials. with regard to the mission building. Th e public consultation period for the permit application closed on February 6. When it started in 2007 it met six times Key concerns included the visibility of the a year but this soon dropped back to mission building from the planned park and However, Heritage Council of Victoria quarterly. As an offi cial council committee, South Wharf and safe public access to the spokesperson Pauline Hitchins said as long it was supported by dozens of offi cers and building. as the application had not been fi nalised obviously cost a lot of money to administer. comments received would be considered. “Th e Mission to Seafarers Victoria is A Places Victoria spokesperson said: “Places working collaboratively with Asset 1 and Comments on the permit application must be Victoria supports the City of Melbourne’s Heritage Victoria at this time to ensure that submitted in writing to heritage.permits@ review of the Docklands Co-ordination historical considerations regarding the dpcd.vic.gov.au or Heritage Victoria, GPO Committee following the establishment Shed 5 redevelopment protect the heritage Box 2392, Melbourne, VIC 3000. of the Docklands Community Forum. Th e interests of the Mission to Seafarers building According to Ms Hitchins, a decision review is currently underway and Places complex,” MtSV CEO Andrea Fleming said. regarding the permit application is likely to Victoria will appropriately form a position Asset 1 WTC chief operating offi cer Gavin be made in the next two months. once the details are available.” PRESENT THIS SHOP 3P ANZ CENTRE, 833 COLLINS STREET DOCKLANDS, MELBOURNE 3008 ADVERT TO Located on the Water-side Promenade underneath the YMCA REDEEM. 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