FRANKSTON Council says its call for a container port at Hastings is based on economic benefits and concern for the environment. The mayor Cr Sandra Mayer said on Friday that the state government’s “commendable” plan to remove rail level crossings “should not come at the expense of the south east and in particular Frankston City”. Before the November 2014 state election Frankston was touting itself as the logical commercial hub for an expanded port at Hastings. But those dreams have faded with the Labor government planning to lease the Port of Melbourne along with a promise of no new competitive…
Author: Keith Platt
OPPONENTS to a container port at Hastings are being warned not to give up the fight just because the state government plans to lease the Port of Melbourne with guarantees of no competition for 50 years. The Preserve Western Port Action Group wants the government to “pursue sustainable developments that support the tourism and recreational boating industries” as an alternative to further industrialising Western Port. The group was Infrastructure Victoria to begin its assessment of whether Bay West in Port Phillip or Hastings is the best location for the state’s next container port. “Detailed submissions will be sought and the…
PENINSULA Home Hospice (PHH) has launched a $5m campaign to pay for its new Mornington headquarters. The building will provide the first permanent home for the 30-year-old organisation that supports people suffering from a terminal illness. The service offers free palliative care, counselling and therapies to patients and their families in the municipalities of Mornington Peninsula, Frankston and Kingston (south of Mordialloc Creek). Small charges may apply to care by the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) and the use of specialist equipment. Directors of PHH bought 327 Main St, Mornington, in April after research and “years of coping with leases…
THE Opposition is accusing the state government of lying over its claim to be searching for the best site for Victoria’s second container port. The Labor government has all but backed away from choosing Western Port and is overseeing the slow demise of the Port of Hastings Development Authority (PoHDA). And now, with its intention of leasing the Port of Melbourne for 50 years with a guarantee of compensation if there is competition from another major port, the government appears to have abandoned its plan for another container port. The greatly diminished PoHDA says it is investigating investment opportunities for…
STAFF numbers have been cut to 14 at the Port of Hastings Development Authority. The latest cuts are in line with the Labor government’s aim of hearing from Infrastructure Victoria before deciding on a site for the state’s second container port. While falling short of formally abandoning Hastings, this latest move is likely to leave a significant vacuum in the forward planning policies of the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston. The Port of Hastings Development Authority has all but been left out of the latest state budget and must rely on ever decreasing revenues from port operator, Patricks Stevedores. In the…