NEWS DESK
The pillars to be fenced Continued from Page 1 The shire has also declared a 200 metre exclusion zone for boats and water craft out from the cliff face, although it has admitted there are no resources to police its ban. There are no plans to stop anglers, divers or sightseers accessing the rest of the cliff which stretches for about eight kilometres along the Esplanade from Mt Martha in the north to Safety Beach in the south. “Litter, broken glass, vandalism to private property, urinating and defecating in local streets, swearing, fighting and aggressive behaviour have all been reported by residents. These occur both in the surrounding streets and at The Pillars,” Cr Gill said. He said it was important the fence was in place for summer. “A more permanent aesthetic fence that would blend into the environment is the longer-term solution and would also allow for the revegetation of The Pillars environment,” he said. “Currently, The Pillars operates as a de facto major tourism operation in a residential zone that does not conform with any Victorian government planning, environment, health, pollution or public safety legislation.” “Over the past three years through social media, the problems at The Pillars have increased dramatically. “This site has never been set up to support a high level of visitation and, basically, the Victorian government, Parks Victoria and the local community have lost control of the situation as a public safety, law and order issue. “The site, by its very nature, is a
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Mornington News
major difficulty to both police and also to ensure public safety which is the major reason for restricting access to The Pillars.” Cr Gill said on receiving legal advice on the major liability faced by the council and ratepayers if someone was killed or injured on the site, the council voted to close The Pillars on safety, legal and law and order issues and notified the government of its intentions. Cr Gill said the depth of the water at The Pillars “varies, with submerged rocks in some areas”. “Combined with varying tides which visitors are not necessarily aware of - and boats and jet skis in the water, jumping from these cliffs carries a high-risk of injury.” Cr Gill said visitors to The Pillars were causing erosion and making the cliff edge unstable and slippery. Vegetation, the remains of Aboriginal middens and other significant cultural heritage assets were also being trampled. Vehicles parked on both sides of nearby residential streets were causing access problems in a designated bushfire prone area. “Access for emergency vehicles, particularly fire trucks, is a key concern for residents and emergency response services,” Cr Gill said. “Residents frequently find litter on the nature strips and in their gardens. Rubbish bins are currently not provided at The Pillars and public rubbish bins are not provided in the neighbouring streets.
4 December 2018
Fixers get toy Ted back on track
THERE was not much of Beth Young’s cycling teddy bear being thrown on the tip, but the mechanical toy is now up and rolling thanks to the volunteer “fixers” at the Mornington repair Cafe. Ms Young, 94, (pictured) was one of the dozen “clients” who took a broken item to the cafe’s opening earlier this month. Volunteers experienced in repairing household goods are opening up a repair cafe in Mornington. The fixers, all experienced in repairing household goods and all members
of the Peninsula branch of Solve Disability Solutions, set up shop at the Mornington Men's Shed on Sunday 18 November. Bill Hallett said 12 people went along seeking repairs to bicycles, an antique piano stool, a Sony Walkman karaoke tape deck and Ms Young's cycling teddy bear. A similar volunteer repair workshop is already up and running at Rye Community Centre, following on from the first Repair Cafe which opened in Holland in 2009. Mr Hallett said the idea of the repair
cafe was to help people keep their items - small furniture pieces to bikes, toys, crockery and computers – in working order and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The fixers draw the line at repairs to mains electrical goods for safety reasons. The next open day at the Mornington Repair Cafe will be Sunday 20 January at the Men’s Shed, 91 Wilsons Road, Mornington. Details for the repair cafes are on the Mornington and Rye Facebook pages or call 0409197307. Keith Platt