NEWS DESK
Coronavirus rules reintroduced
Picture: Gary Sissons
Future of golf course land up in the air Continued from page 1 Planning Panels Victoria must publicly exhibit the proposal for a minimum of 30 days, followed by a public hearing. A final report will then be submitted to the planning minister. AustralianSuper submitted its new draft proposal in November 2020. In September 2018, Kingston Council voted to abandon the planning scheme amendment to rezone Peninsula Kingswood golf course. The plan was to subdivide the land and build a little under 800 residential dwellings (“Council tees off on golf course plans”, The News, 24/10/18). In 2020 the state government re-
leased new guidelines for golf course conversions. Among the new guidelines was that “at least 20 per cent of the land area to be developed is set aside as publicly accessible useable open space that contributes to an integrated open space network.” A statement from Save Kingswood Group Inc read “the developers should never have purchased land zoned special use golf course, before consulting residents and the Kingston Council. Councils around Melbourne have been advocating the preservation and expansion of urban forests and trees, to provide oxygen, reduce pollution, for environmental cooling,
offer recreational areas and to stop the destruction of native flora and fauna habitat.” “Dingley Village is unique in Victoria. Residents moved here to enjoy the green leafy low-rise Village atmosphere. There is vastly insufficient infrastructure and facilities to withstand a twenty percent increase in population,” the group’s president Kevin Poulter said. Council commissioned a report last year that found that it would cost nearly $450,000 to move the site outside the urban growth boundary (“Golf course rezoning could be costly”, The News, 9/12/20)
NEW COVID-19 restrictions have been imposed across Melbourne in response to virus cases uncovered in the northern suburbs. From 6pm on 25 May, private gatherings in homes are limited to five visitors per day, and public gatherings will be limited to 30 people. Face masks must be worn indoors by anyone 12 years and older, including at work and school. Schools and workplaces are expected to remain open, and current density limits for hospitality and events remain. The restrictions are touted to end on 4 June. Four cases of coronavirus were reported on 25 May in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. There are exposure sites in Epping, Brunswick, Maribyrnong, and Reservoir. Acting Premier James Merlino said “these additional measures are about
keeping Victorians safe while our coronavirus detectives work to track down any additional cases and stamp out the spread of this deadly virus.” “If you’re eligible to get vaccinated, don’t wait. Make an appointment or walk up to a vaccination site today. It’s the best way to protect yourself and your family,” he said. Victorian health minister Martin Foley said “these cases are an important reminder that until the majority of Australians have been vaccinated, and as we move into winter, we cannot let any complacency creep in, and we need to keep up our COVIDSafe behaviours.” For a full list of exposure sites visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposuresites. To see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine visit health.gov. au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid19-vaccine-eligibility-checker
Fines for parking outside homes RESIDENTS on Lochiel Avenue say they have been fined for parking outside their own homes. Edithvale resident Deon Vlotman has taken issue with new parking restrictions on his street. He says that residents on the street have been receiving fines of $165 from parking inspectors in the last five weeks. “My neighbours are getting a ticket for $165, but if you take it to court they still make you pay the court costs. We pay [Kingston Council] to look after us, but this has become a cash cow to them,” he said. “This is a residential area, but we get construction guys parking there
from the station, and traffic using the street as a backroad,” he said. “A permit for residents is a solution to prevent us from getting tickets, they can still give tickets to non-residents. What does not help us is that they are issuing permits to build townhouses around us and not accommodating for more parking. “We have been living there for 10 years. The council recently sent us a letter to propose this and ask what we think about what was going to happen. Then they just went ahead and did it.” Kingston Council was contacted for comment.
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For more information go to CORONAVIRUS.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
26 May 2021
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