NEARLY 18 percent of commercial properties in Frankston’s city centre are vacant, an audit has revealed. Frankston Council audited 563 properties in the Frankston CBD this month. The city centre was found to have a commercial property vacancy rate of 17.8 percent, not inclusive of vacant commercial properties which are vacant land, properties currently under development, or properties obviously damaged and requiring remediation works. Artworks by Chisholm Institute designs students are being put on display in empty Frankston CBD shopfronts in a bid to make them more attractive. Deputy mayor Liam Hughes said the artwork project would “transform our CBD…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
FRANKSTON mayor Nathan Conroy has begun a period of unpaid leave from Frankston Council to contest the Dunkley by-election. Conroy’s preselection for the Liberals was announced on Sunday 14 January. The following Tuesday he began a period of unpaid leave from council to campaign. The by-election will be held on 2 March. While Conroy is on leave, deputy mayor Liam Hughes will fill in as mayor. Hughes became one of the youngest councillors to ever be elected in Victoria after winning a spot on council in 2020 aged just 18. His father, Steven Hughes, was also elected to Frankston Council…
THE condition of a Chelsea laneway has residents worried about potential injuries. Maury Lane in Chelsea has a bluestone surface. The lane, covered in makeshift asphalt repairs, is now sunken and uneven. A letter written by former Kingston Council interim CEO Tim Tamlin seen by The News read that council was aware of the issues as early as 2021 and was planning to reconstruct the path in 2022. Nearby residents have contacted The News to say that they fear that people will be hurt if the laneway isn’t redeveloped. In a statement, Kingston Council said that a full reconstruction is…
A REPORT on the dangers of rising sea levels in Port Phillip Bay should be a call to action, Kingston mayor Jenna Davey-Burns says. The Port Phillip Bay Coastal Hazard Assessment was released earlier this month. The report assessed the damage that rising sea levels could have around Port Phillip by 2100. In the Kingston Council area, the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands between Mordialloc Creek and Patterson River has been identified as an area at most risk. The CSIRO report measured potential damage if sea levels rose by up to 1.4 metres (“Rising sea threatens coastline” The News 15/1/24). Last week Kingston…
PLANS for a 14-storey building on Nepean Highway in Frankston will be considered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal next month, The Times understands. The 14-storey development at 446-450 Nepean Highway was approved by Frankston Council in late 2022. The proposal was for a mixed use building with 94 apartments and a licensed restaurant able to trade each day from 11am to 11pm. The decision was appealed to VCAT, which is expected to assess the plans at a hearing in mid-February. Frankston Council’s FMAC structure plan, which would raise height limits in Frankston’s city centre to new preferred heights…