NEWS DESK
Councillors could Childcare plans rejected PLANS to build a childcare centre in let the dogs out Barmah Court have been rejected by THE contentious ban on dogs in Frankston’s CBD could be reconsidered soon. Dogs are currently banned from being anywhere in Frankston’s central activity area, which is bordered by Fletcher Road, Davey Street, and Kananook Creek Boulevard. Frankston Council officers have recommended that councillors vote to commence community consultation on multiple existing orders regarding pets. The council orders which could be reviewed are the cat curfew, restrictions on dogs on beaches, and the dog ban in the CAA. The proposed community consultation would take place in May or June. A report would then be given to councillors by July. Councillors will consider beginning the review at their 29 March meeting, shortly after publication deadline.
Tennis plan released VUK, 7, and Sava, 3, are excited for Easter. Picture: Supplied
App adds to Easter excitement AUGMENTED reality technology is being used for a free virtual Easter egg hunt around Frankston this week. Bunnies will be seen on local footpaths and walkways from 29 March to 12 April. With the help of the CreativiTek app, the decal images will come to life on your phone. The Easter hunt is running across Frankston, Langwarrin, Carrum Downs, and Seaford. Frankston councillor David Asker
said “council’s virtual Easter hunt provides awesome fun for the young and the young at heart. So get your walking shoes and detective hat on and hop along to search for bunny and his friends.” “Look out for our colourful Easter images on footpaths and walkways, download the free app then follow the instructions to see our Easter characters come to life. Go on the hunt for all four friends, take your
pictures with each of them and then enter the draw to win. “The fun doesn’t stop there – we’ve also got a separate photo competition, so don’t forget to snap and share your images on socials, using #discoverfrankston #bunnyfriends, to win $100 cash from Discover Frankston.” For more information visit discoverfrankston.com/doitoutdoorseasterhunt
A DRAFT tennis action plan has been released for public exhibition - outlining a series of recommendations for courts and clubs around Frankston. Council’s draft plan recommends that the total number of courts in Frankston be reduced from 78 to 70. It is also recommended that more than $14.9 million be spent on improving tennis facilities throughout the municipality in the next decade. When debating sending the plan out for consultation, Cr Steven Hughes took issue with the amount which is proposed to be spent on pavilions compared to courts. “$10 million out of $15 million we will spend on just pavilions,” he said. “We need to find savings.” The plan will be publicly exhibited for six weeks. A report is expected to come back to council in May.
VCAT. Frankston Council rejected the proposal for 21 Barmah Court in Frankston South in 2019. That decision was then appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The plan was to build a childcare centre which would accommodate 84 children, running from 6.00am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. Some existing trees would have had to be removed to allow for construction works to take place. VCAT held hearings in October to consider the proposal. This month it handed down its order to reject a permit for the developer. One of the key reasons given for the rejection by VCAT was the traffic impacts to Barmah Court and nearby Kara Street. “Whilst Kara Street can technically accommodate the traffic generation from a traffic engineering perspective, the amount of car parking required for this land use generates traffic that significantly increases the existing volumes in a small local connector road,” the order read. “[Kara Street] provides the sole means of access to Barmah Court, which is described in the planning scheme as having characteristics akin to a country lane. “Kara Street is part and parcel of the residential amenity currently enjoyed by Barmah Court residents. Kara Street is their sole means of access to their residential street and contributes to the pleasantness (amenity) that they currently enjoy. Traffic increases ranging from a doubling over the course of the day to a four-fold increase in the peak hours is an unacceptable impact upon the pleasantness/amenity of this particular residential area. Again, this is another part of the cumulative amenity impact that has lead me to conclude this land use is not acceptable in this location.”
Plans for violence survivors to access super slammed Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au THE re-emergence of a proposal to allow women to access their superannuation to escape domestic violence has been slammed by Dunkley MP Peta Murphy. The federal government’s plan
would have allowed women to access $10,000 from their own superannuation. Ms Murphy said the proposal was “not okay”. “Women fleeing domestic violence should not be forced to choose between their and their children’s safety and their financial futures,” she said. “This government continues to fail to listen to the concerns of women across
the country and repeatedly presents wholly inadequate, and in this case, counterproductive, responses. “The response of the Morrison government to women needing to flee violent relationships is to say, ‘We know you earn 42 per cent less than men in superannuation, we know that the fastest-growing cohort of homeless people is women over the age of
55, and we know that single women in retirement are more likely to live in poverty than men, but don’t worry—if you need to escape a domestic violent relationship, you can draw down on your retirement savings in order to do so.’ It defies belief that women who are protesting should not only be glad they’re not getting shot but should also have to go into poverty to escape
violence.” Nine newspapers reported earlier this month that the federal government would be moving forward with the plan, which was first floated in 2018. The following week Senator Marise Payne told senate estimates that the government would not be pursuing the policy.
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Frankston Times
30 March 2021
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