AROUND THE REGION
Water HQ gets the nod By Keith Platt PLANS for the city’s largest building are expected to be approved by Frankston Council on Monday 3 December. Councillors gave “in principle� approval to the new South East Water headquarters before seeing any drawings and the council has already accepted $4 million for the site. The offices will house 700 workers and according to Frankston Council CEO Dennis Hovenden “will continue to give back to our community, in terms of future job opportunities and a projected annual injection into the economy of $225 million each year�. As a government instrumentality South East Water will not pay rates. “While we acknowledge the site is tight for development, it is the best option to ensure we can activate the creek,� Mr Hovenden said. He said suggested alternative sites were “not desirable� and seemed to tie approval of the South East Water development to the government upgrading the transit interchange and “possibly electrify the train line to Baxter�. The government is also under pressure to honour a pre-election promise to spend $2.5 million to remove silt from the creek. The block-wide, 32-metre high building will dwarf and block sea views of its neighbour, the 20-metre Landmark building at the corner of Wells St and Nepean Highway. It will cover the creekside car park running between Wells and Playne
streets. Only the nearby Peninsula Centre, undergoing redevelopment as an apartment complex, will be higher. Long Island Residents’ Association has labelled the planning process an “outrageous abuse� and a “secretive, arrogant and contemptuous treatment of the Frankston community�. Spokesman Rob Thurley said more time was needed “to extend a car port� than what is being required for the city’s biggest project for 25 years. He said development in the centre of the city on the banks of Kananook Creek should “receive the fullest public debate�. Mr Thurley said the sudden release of architect’s plans did not give the public adequate time to comment before the council meeting. “Worse still, from SEW’s own communication to its staff, it appears that the council approval of the design has already been pre-determined, so public release is just a charade [and] will have no effective impact at all,� Mr Thurley said. “This follows a totally secret deal to sell the strategic site – earmarked as predominantly public space – for a peppercorn price and a further secret deal to circumvent council’s own strict planning laws on building height and mass.� The council’s planning committee will “review� the plans for the new building, which then go to the state government architect to make a recommendation to Planning Minister Matthew Guy. Council gave early “in principle� approval to the proposed building, waiv-
Across the block: The new South East Water building will stretch from Wells to Playne streets and dwarf its neighbour, the Landmark building.
ing planning scheme building heights and fast-tracking negotiations with South East Water. Since announcing Frankston as the chosen location, council and South East Water have mounted a sustained public relations exercise to pave the way for the water utility’s new headquarters on the banks of Kananook Creek. Briefings have been held with “key
stakeholder� groups, including the Kananook Creek Association, Long Island Residents’ Association and Frankston Beach Association. The latest briefing was on 28 November. The Long Island association says it has “at least 11 major issues� with the proposal, which “should be fully debated with the community�. “The council’s role must be the trust-
ed umpire, not the gung-ho developer. A massive conflict of community interest arises when the planning and developer role are not properly separated.� The 11 issues listed at www.longislandresidents.wordpress.com include a call for residents to pressure council into deferring approval for the South East Water’s high-rise office block and rescinding the waiver on building height.
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Chelsea – Mordialloc News 12 December 2012
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