Trail works fail to measure up Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au PROMISES to preserve as much vegetation as possible while building the Kingston portion of the Bay Trail have failed to measure up, according to a Mentone resident. Stephen Calvert-Smith reckons contractors hired by Kingston Council to build the Bay Trail section between Charman Rd and the Mentone Life Saving Club have cut an excessive amount of vegetation from the foreshore at Plummer Rd where a new parking lane is being installed. “I reckon they’ve put it down about another 0.2 of a metre into the foreshore than they’re supposed to be,” Mr Calvert-Smith said. The Mentone resident has carried out his own measurements of the a parking lane on the south side of Plummer Rd. “It’s supposed to be 3.1 and it’s actually 3.3 [metres].” Community groups, headed by the Kingston Residents Association, took council’s proposal to build the shared bike and pedestrian pathway between Charman Rd and the life saving club to VCAT, arguing “excessive” tea tree and scrub was being removed to build the one-kilometre section of the Bay Trail. VCAT ruled the pathway could proceed in April (‘Bay Trail gets VCAT go ahead’, The News 9/4/15). Council acknowledged Mr Calvert-Smith’s concerns when contacted by The News. City assets and environment gen-
Size matters: Mentone resident Stephen Calvert-Smith reckons a section of the Bay Trail being paved through Kingston is wider than approved plans. Picture: Gary Sissons
eral manager Daniel Freer met Mr Calvert-Smith at Plummer Rd last week to discuss the apparent discrepancy in parking lane width. “Precise measuring of the site” will be done by council to determine whether the construction company hired by council to build the Bay Trail path followed the correct dimensions. “The Bay Trail project is an important link to pro-
mote cycling and walking around Port Phillip Bay and will be a fantastic community asset,” Mr Freer said. “Council is keen to see the Bay Trail built with minimal vegetation loss and will investigate to determine whether an extra 20 centimetres of vegetation was removed.”
Game over for space invaders PARKING woes could soon be eased in areas where residential development is prevalent. An influx of new residents in homes in Mordialloc, Moorabbin and Cheltenham has seen streets clogged with parked cars over the past decade. Property developers and real estate agents have been put on notice that Kingston Council will not issue additional car parking permits for new home residents around activity centres and major development precincts such as the former Highett Gas Works. State planning laws specifying car parking spaces for new housing developments are “minimal”, according to council. Mayor Cr Geoff Gledhill said most new developments provided just one car space for residents despite many homeowners and tenants having more than one vehicle which impacts on an area’s amenity for existing residents. “As families we all have more cars [but] we can send a clear message to the market that when building apartments you provide sufficient parking on site,” Cr Gledhill said. “Don’t just build something and assume there is parking in the surrounding streets for your development.” The mayor said the real estate industry has been “quite supportive” about council’s parking spaces plan. “We’re trying to get away from packing everyone in parking on the street.” Council will consult with the community to establish a “not eligible for resident parking” list for specific areas identified as busy streets where future development is a possibility. The findings will be considered by councillors at a council meeting later this year before the policy is officially adopted to protect on-street parking spots for existing residents. Neil Walker
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Call 1300 306 255 to arrange a tour or to request a free information pack. Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 29 July 2015
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