HOMEOWNERS in Mt Eliza’s prestigious Ranelagh Estate have defended their rights to embrace modern architecture in the wake of claims that new developments are changing the character of the 1920s “garden estate”. Their claims come in the wake of protests from a group opposed to what it calls “inappropriate” development (“Bid to stunt growth of ‘garden estate’”, The Times 6/3/17). The Ranelagh Residents Association and several other property owners have appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) against a planning application for a two-storey house in Rendlesham Av. The association, led by architect Victoria Grounds, is trying to…
Author: Liz Bell
MORNINGTON Peninsula horticulturalist Lisa Brassington knows that crops and ducks sometimes don’t mix, but the crafty inventor has come up with a simple solution to the problem that leaves both unharmed. Ms Brassington, who works at Peninsula Fresh Organics in Baxter, has spent the past three years watching ducks shift from foraging for insects to organic leafy green produce as they take advantage of what she calls “the best buffet in Baxter”. Wanting a solution that would save crops without hurting the ducks, she combined her education in rural planning and physics with her love of farming to come up…
IT’S fabulous to be over 50 in Frankston according to the 160 energetic members of the ‘Frankston Fabulous 50s’ swimming group. The club, which runs weekly aqua aerobics sessions in PARC’s hydrotherapy pool, was recognised at this month’s public council meeting by Frankston Council for its commitment to “community connectedness” and ongoing efforts to keep members active and engaged with the community. Club president Judy Laux said the club was “delighted” to be thanked by the council, after 35 years of uniting Frankston’s older residents through fitness, social activities and friendship. “It means a lot that the club is recognised…
RESIDENTS of a historically-significant “garden” suburb in Mt Eliza have launched a legal challenge to protect the character of the estate amid fears protection overlays are being watered down. The Ranelagh Residents Association has lodged an appeal with the Victorian Civil and Administrative and Tribunal over a planning application for a multi-storey house in Rendlesham Av. Houses in the tightly-held bayside Ranelagh Estate, a 1920s, 800-lot residential subdivision designed as a “seaside garden estate” by American landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin, are subject to covenants that allow one dwelling on each allotment to retain the neighbourhood character and prevent over-development.…
IF the test of a good book illustrator is how well their pictures connect to the text, then multi-talented Langwarrin resident Nicky Johnston has nailed it. The former Frankston High School student’s pictures – which have been described as “whimsical”, “soft” and “emotional” – will now be enjoyed by children and their parents around the globe, with the Frankston launch of her latest project, The Fix-It Man, by an international publisher. The children’s book deals with grief and loss in a subtle, sensitive way, and is the first illustration project that the artist, speaker, author and educator hasn’t written herself.…