ALARM at planning uncertainty in Kingston has been dismissed by Kingston Council who insist residential areas are safe from overdevelopment while the state government considers council’s Plan Melbourne submission. Kingston is one of 24 councils awaiting a response from Planning Minister Matthew Guy on its submission to have more than 75 per cent of the region included in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone (‘Kingston zoned out of state planning process’, The News, 25/6/14). Single and two-storey homes to a maximum height of eight metres can be built in the NRZ. Since the new Plan Melbourne zones came into effect on 1…
Author: Neil Walker
COSTCO could be coming to Kingston with council’s backing despite a split in opinion between councillors. There was debate at last month’s council meeting about how the US bulk buy supermarket goliath’s arrival in Kingston may hurt existing businesses’ profits. A council officers’ report on Costco’s proposal noted it was “inevitable that such a store will be located in south east Melbourne” because of the broad catchment area for customers but cautioned that the viability of nearby retail hubs such as Aspendale Gardens, Dingley, Thrift Park, Cheltenham and Mentone could be threatened in the longer term. South ward councillor Tamsin…
FRANKSTON councillors have been under investigation for the past few months. An independent observer has been shadowing their every move at council meetings to put together a report on their behaviour. However, the surveillance has been at councillors’ own request. A governance expert has been hired to advise how council meetings can be “more effectively” run. Maddocks lawyer Mark Hayes has been hired to run the rule over councillors’ conduct as part of a council review of meeting procedures under local governance laws. The mayor, Cr Darrel Taylor, said council had invited Mr Hayes to “come in and see how…
THE People Place Music Club’s ‘Big as Texas Concert’ is getting bigger each year. Organiser Jamez Harrison said preparations for the fourth annual concert to be held next month are well underway. Mr Harrison said five peninsula music clubs get together each year for a good old fashioned hoedown. “The concert features a mixture of porch music, folk, blues, country music and basically all kinds of music,” he said. The bill includes The Chris Newman Show, Veranda Music Club, Peninsula Folk Club, Fathers of the Chapel, Berwick Music Club and The People Place Music Club members. The People Place Music…
KINGSTON councillors have backed away from hiring an independent observer to monitor their behaviour during debate at meetings. Earlier this month, councillors voted to investigate the possibility of employing an outsider to watch council meetings – both in public and behind closed doors – to advise whether action was needed to raise standards (‘Who watches the councillors?’, The News, 18/6/14). Councillors asked Kingston CEO John Nevins to investigate the costs of hiring such a person, but the proposal has been quickly shot down before it could even go out to tender. Cr Ron Brownlees seemed to get cold feet over…