FRANKSTON Private Hospital is being converted into a public surgery centre. The state government announced the change last week. The hospital is expected to be operating as a public surgery centre sometime next year. The state government hopes that by the time it is fully operational, the hospital will have the capacity to support up to 9,000 public patients per year. Deputy Premier James Merlino said that the change will help clear up the backlog of surgeries building up in Victoria because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic has been really tough on everyone, but nothing matters more than the…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
THE planning minister has received a report on the planned redevelopment of the former Kingswood golf course site at Dingley Village. The report, prepared by the state government’s golf course redevelopment standing advisory committee, was handed to the minister last month. He is currently considering the next step. The report assesses whether the plans for the site satisfy the state government’s planning guidelines for the conversion of golf course land to other purposes. The site is owned by AustralianSuper. Its plans include subdividing the land into 823 lots to build dwellings with a maximum height of three stories. Previous plans…
THE proposed master plan for Moorabbin Airport has been knocked back by the federal government. Infrastructure, transport and regional development minister Barnaby Joyce announced that the plan had been rejected under the Commonwealth Airports Act last week. The draft master plan put out by Moorabbin Airport last year outlined a number of objectives, including “growing flight training activity to 1,800 students per year, an increase of 450 students from 2020 levels and forecast as the safe maximum achievable within airspace capacity constraints of the airport”, “investing a further $300 million in aviation and non-aviation activities by 2029”, and “simplifying the…
MPNFL DIVISION ONE IT was a day of celebration for Frankston YCW on Saturday, as they started their season with a gritty come-from-behind win over Bonbeach. The two sides got the 2022 season underway with an entertaining clash at Bonbeach Reserve. The Stonecats proved to be the stronger side on the day after a slow start. They ended up taking the game by 14 points – 11.9 (75) to 14.5 (89). The day will also be remembered for the return of Frankston YCW’s Dylan Roberton to the football field. The former St Kilda defender made a welcome return after retiring…
A FRANKSTON councillor is pushing for a rate cut. Cr Steven Hughes has put forward a proposal to cut general rates for Frankston residents by five per cent in the 2022/2023 financial year. He told The Times that “total council spend is the main driver why Frankston rates are as high as they are. It’s quite simple, if council spends less than rates will go down.” “Council must re-focus its energies on providing superior services to the community at an affordable level based on the means of our residents. That might mean forgoing a new swimming pool or fancy statues…