A Resident Writes to Councillors and Members of Parliament

Dear Ward Councillors
Some of you may know of me and some may not, but I write to you as a resident of the Oakleigh Ward living in the suburb of Notting Hill, regarding our total loss of open space in losing our two (2) schools.
Please find attached below an email that I’ve sent to our State MPs and also sent it to: Hong Lim, Gavin Jennings, Inga Peulich, Gordon Rich-Phillips, Bob Smith, Adem Somyurek, which I believe you should read.
Please be aware that the residents of the Notting Hill community have used these two school grounds for recreation over the many years either: after hours, during school holidays or over weekends.
We have never needed to request public open land previously, as we’ve all used these facilities, however, with their loss, the entire community will have no where to exercise, fly a kite, play footy/cricket etc and in comparison to other areas of Monash, we are totally lacking in open space.
Please explain how the 2 to 5% of land set aside, is calculated? What is the formula? and How old is this formula - 1920’s ?
As our Ward Councillors, I ask you all to familiarize yourselves with our area and assist your local community in retaining a decent amount of the land for the community.
I understand that you are all no doubt busy with the Oakleigh pool situation.
However, this issue is just as important to us, we too are in desperate need of some decent recreational area/facilities and I feel that our issue should be receiving just as much action from Council before it’s too late!
The responsibility for retaining some of this land is constantly being passed backwards and forwards between State Government and Local Council, but the issue still lies and is falling through the cracks.
This needs to be addressed and done so that it ensures this community’s future before this land goes to auction for the highest bidder.
To what lengths does the community need to go to, to get someone to pay attention and help us with this matter?
I’m more than happy to discuss this issue with you all and would love to hear from all of you on how you will be assisting your local community with this much needed land before it’s too late.

Kind regards
Melinda


And to the State members of parliaments Melinda wrote:



Dear Ministers
We have no public open space!! I hope I’ve caught your attention
I write to you as a resident for 10 years of the suburb of Notting Hill Victoria 3168 (Melways Map 70) and over the last 5 years, our suburb/estate has lost:

Day Care Facility – Old Rusden Uni Campus, Blackburn Road/Samada Street
Kindergarten – Westerfield Drive
Notting Hill Primary School – Samada Street
Monash Secondary School – Duredin Road, NantillaRoad & Dunlop Road

I am disgusted that our suburb has lost all of the above facilities and received nothing in their place! Let alone kept any land aside for future generations needs and requirements.
This is State owned land paid for by the people, yet nothing is being set aside for us! 2 or 5% is just not enough, we require the same facilities that our surrounding suburbs have, a sports oval with proper recreational facilities and playground.
The demographics of our suburb are changing with the increasing birth rate within our estate – where do our children go for easy and safe access to education, not to mention sporting activities?
We lost the Day Care facility on the Rusden site which has now been redeveloped into high-rise – medium density dwellings without any allowances for public open space.
Now the DEET are rezoning the primary school to residential and selling that off to the highest bidder, closely followed by Monash Secondary School which will no doubt meet the same fate!
Where is everyone going to exercise?
Our estates’ residents have all used these facilities over the many years as open space and without any recreational areas, what is the State Government going to give us to compensate us for loss of open space? If you look in the melways, you can see that our suburb is the only one in the vicinity that doesn’t have any green areas for open space but is slowly filling up with business parks and factories.
The only available land is owned by Monash University who also intend on developing it over the next 5>10 years.
I believed that the State Government were concerned with the increasing obesity problem, yet we’re losing all of our open space to developers who will fill it with more high density dwellings to gain maximum dollar. At what price do we pay for these losses?
Where do we go or take our children to play footy, or fly a kite? Not everyone has a car and can travel to other open spaces. Not to mention young 5 year olds walking to the nearest primary schools over major roads and across freeway on/off ramps.
What happens to the future generations within this area? There is an urgent need to set aside areas for future development… people are moving back into the suburbs for more affordable living, yet there is nothing being kept for the future. What happened to the 2030 Plan? Isn’t it supposed to allow for spread into residential areas outside of the activity centres?
It was recently published in the local Monash Journal Feb 12, A Monash University Urban Population Expert, has criticized the State Government for failing to retain public open space at former school sites.
We have been lobbying our local Monash Council for some of this land to be kept as public open space, but they say that it’s the State Government’s responsibility to put these reserves aside and that they can’t afford to purchase land for the local community.
I moved into this estate with the intention of building a home, starting a family and having my children be able to walk to kinder, primary school and high school… I now have a home and two (2) children and have to drive them to day care/kinder, so what is the State Government going to do for me and my neighbours?
I’m supposed to be living in the Garden City… not the high density, dual occupancy capital.
There is a total lack of concern for our suburb and its inhabitants and it’s about time someone took notice. We are not lambs lined up for the slaughter; we are human beings with needs and requirements that quite simply aren’t being met.
I’m happy to discuss any or all of my concerns with any of you who can find the time to speak to the people. I look forward to hearing from you

Sincerely
Melinda Ashton
Notting Hill Vic 3168

Ideas for Notting Hill Spaces

While there is real concern about the lack of space in Notting Hill and the lose of amenities such as the primary school and secondary college it is also important to think about what we as residents might to with public space if by some effort some becomes available for public use.
I would like to open the conversation on a community garden and gauge the initial level of support for such a proposal. I realise that establishing a community garden will not be easy and require a level of commitment and efforts of many before it becomes a reality.
We include some thoughts on the benefits of a community garden for residents. Community gardens are recognised worldwide as a great way to grow food, improve your health, meet people, and cultivate vibrant communities.
They:

• allow people to grow their own vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers
• contribute to building an ecologically viable and socially just food system
• are a convivial way of getting fresh air and exercise
• foster community engagement and a culture of generosity, reciprocity, trust and self-help
• are great places to learn about gardening and share local knowledge
• preserve and improve the precious green spaces in urban environments
• develop innovative ways of living sustainably in the city
• provide opportunities for cultural exchange and learning
• some community gardens produce enough food and share the surplus and/or develop community enterprises.
  
  For more information about community gardens go to:
  http://www.ringwoodcommunitygarden.org.au/
  http://www.ceres.org.au/
  http://www.communitygarden.org.au/
  http://www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au/
  http://www.canh.asn.au/community_gardening/
  
  
  I would be interested in any responses or comments on the possibility of a community garden

On Urban Development and Residents' Responses

The Minister for Planning in Victoria has often stated publicly that Melbourne 2030 is about protecting the liveability of Melbourne by encouraging the right development in the right places. This is exactly what resident groups are trying to do. Residents groups are not against all developments. They are however, against inappropriate developments.
In an ideal world, there would not be any need for the establishment of Concerned Resident Groups or Action Groups to campaign against developments in order to protect the liveability of Melbourne.
However we do not live in an ideal world. Inappropriate planning proposals from developers in the misguided belief that they comply with Melbourne 2030 have raised the level of consciousness within the community to problems associated with Melbourne 2030.
There may come a time when residents feel so strongly about a particular issue, that they consider campaigning against what they consider to be a proposed inappropriate development in order to protect the liveability of their suburb. They may even consider forming a resident’s representative group to allow the campaign to be more effective.
Forming and working in a concerned resident group to campaign against a proposed inappropriate development will require considerable time and effort from all members.
The decision to form or join a resident group and undertake such a campaign should therefore not be taken lightly, and should only be made after consideration of a number of issues.

Residents wanting to be heard have to consider:
Firstly decide if they wish to embark on a campaign against a proposed development.
Secondly decide whether they want to establish a representative residents group to undertake the campaign
Thirdly, appreciate the tasks need to be done in order to maximize their chances of achieving a desired outcome.
Finally, to obtain advice on how best to undertake these tasks.

This advice is from the Wheelers Hill Action Group within Monash Council who are sharing their experiences with other interest groups.

The Space Race - Notting Hill versus the Developers

Let’s talk about open space in Notting Hill
Notting Hill in reality is not a big suburban area. The residential area is small and compact and bounded by arterial roads.
The main residential areas are the Westerfield Estate and the Rusden estate.
Westerfield Estate people have always been forced to use school grounds as their open exercise and recreational areas as the developer, A V Jennings, did not provide a park as originally promised.
In these is the former Monash Primary School which has a compact sports oval. This is now fenced off and access is officially denied although the fence is falling down. Its future looks bleak as once the Monash Council rezones the area the developers are likely to move in.
The High School or Secondary College is closed and the future of its land is questionable.
So what public access land does the area of 600 dwellings have? There area couple of small patches where vacant blocks have some public use. This gives the residential area less than 0.2 percent of the area as public space.
In Monash City Council overall the amount of public space is 5 percent.
According to the 2001 Census figures, 234 people out of 1364 persons living on the estate are 15 years old or under; that’s around 17%. These kids need space, and adults increasingly need room for exercise.
The link between growing obesity of the population and lack of open space or areas for walking is obvious.
The steamroller approach of increasing the density of the housing without though for mobility physical activity by people has to be rejected.
The locals have had the school grounds as open spaces for exercise and recreation in the past but it is unlikely they will in the future given the influence of the development and real estate lobby in State politics.

Our Natural Heritage

One of the last areas if not the last one of native or natural vegetation in the Notting Hill area is on the site of the Monash Primary School.

The long leafed box (Eucalytpus goniocalyx) are the remnant of the original vegetation of the area, as are the swamp gums (Eucalyptus ovata).
The trees are of significant heritage value as they predate the Westerfield Estate, and the University.
The trees are reported to be good health and are valuable because few healthy examples of the long leafed box remain in local council reserves let along private areas.
Also because the species are growing in clumps their seed and seedlings are genetically pure and they have not hybridised as other eucalypti species have. So the trees represent a valueable resource and a pool for propagation.
They provide a remaining habitat for our wildlife. A future bushland reserve would provide a cooridor linking Monash University's Jock Marshall Reserve, the Monash Freeway roadside reserve and Jells Park.

Picture from Lauren Gates
Link to more pictures

http://www.users.bigpond.com/lnd.gates/PicturesNativVeg_20061126_simple.htm

Monash Secondary College Theatre in danger

Michaela writes:

The Monash Secondary College theatre complex is an invaluable resource for several community drama groups including the Waverley Players.
With the closure of the secondary college by the Education Department, the theatre appears likely to be bulldozed to make way for commercial development of the site.
The theatre belongs to the Nottinghill community and the surrounding area of North Clayton, because the funds to build it were supplied not by the Education Department, but by the parents and friends of the school, many of whom still leave nearby.
Its current excellent state of preservation is due to money and labour contributed over the last few years by the Waverley Players.
There are no venues for amateur theatre in the Monash City precincts other than the college theatre complex. We understand that the Waverley Players have no alternative venue, and that the Knox Theatre Company is also keen to use the site.
We have contacted both the Monash City Council and the Education Department expressing our concerns in this matter, and we will watch with great interest future developments concerning the theatre and the secondary college site.
We would welcome contact with any other Monash City residents with an interest in preserving the theatre as a community resource.
Official Spokespeople for the Notting Hill Group are: Spokesperson for this is Prof Marian Quartly: marian.quarlty@arts.monash.edu.au M: 0403182701 or Melinda Ashton melashton@iprimus.com.au M: 0413 137 007
Jill Hiam's from the Knox theatre group can be reached at hiam@netspace.net.au

Political Represenatives in the Upper House

Since the last Victorian election in 2006 we now have new representatives in the state Legislative Council.
There are five reps for our multi-member division/region.
One of them is a Minister in the Bracks Government and has set up an electorate office in Mt Waverly.

Gavin Jennings, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Government (Council)
South Eastern Metropolitan (ALP)
Ministerial Office
LEVEL 22, 50 LONSDALE ST, MELBOURNE 3000
Tel: 9096-8830
Fax:9096-8866

Electorate Office
4 Hamilton Place, Mt Waverley, 3149
Tel: 9888-1910
Fax:9807-4924
Email: gavin.jennings@parliament.vic.gov.au


Inga Peulich, South Eastern Metropolitan (Lib)
445 NEPEAN HIGHWAY, FRANKSTON 3199
Tel: 9783-1633
Fax: 9783-1192
Email: inga.peulich@parliament.vic.gov.au


Gordon Rich-Phillips,
Secretary,
Parliamentary Liberal Party
South Eastern Metropolitan
1/31 PRINCES HWY, DANDENONG 3175
Tel: 9794-7667
Fax:9794-7856
Email: gordon.rich-phillips@parliament.vic.gov.au



The Honourable Robert Smith,
South Eastern Metropolitan (ALP)
President's Office
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, SPRING ST, EAST MELBOURNE 3002
Tel: 9651-8675
Fax: 9651-8996
Electorate Office
376 NEPEAN HWY, CHELSEA 3196
Tel: 9776-1876
Fax:9776-1896
Private –
363 Stony Point Rd, Crib Point 3919
Tel: 5971-3867
Email: robert.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au



Adem Kubilay Somyurek,
South Eastern Metropolitan (ALP)
UNIT 2/24 LANGHORNE STREET,
DANDENONG 3175
Tel: 9794-0699
Fax:9794-0414
Email: adem.somyurek@parliament.vic.gov.au

Babakiueria (Barbeque Area) in Notting Hill

Our little park is holding on. Valiant residents who gained a block of land for public use will be holding their regular community barbeques throughout the year.
The Friends of Berrydale Court have issued their invitations to all for 2007.

The Berrydale Court Open Space will be cooking on the following Sundays beginning at 1.00 pm.

4th February

1st April

24th June

5th August

7th October

9th December

All welcome. Please keep accompanying dogs on leads as per council regulations.
Put the dates in your diary.

Update on the Monash Primary School and the Ten Percent Solution

Many residents of the Notting Hill Community are concerned at the closure of Monash Primary School and its likely sell off by the Victorian State Government for private speculative development.

Many has written letters to the local elected representatives and the Monash City Council expressing their concerns and asking what the Council intends to do about the change in land use and the consequences for the Notting Hill community.

We are happy to post your letters here and also the replies so all can be informed.

Last year one resident wrote to the Council and received this reply from Sharen Bradley – Manager, Development & Statutory Services – Monash City Council.

The letter reads:

I refer to your email addressed to all Councillors. On their behalf, I wish to advise you that the City of Monash has had no involvement or role in the decision by the State Government to close either the Monash Primary School in Samada Street or the Monash Secondary School in Duredin Street, Notting Hill.
These decisions have been the sole responsibility of the Education Department and the current State Governement.
Council is required to respond to any application that requests land to be rezoned under the Monash Planning Scheme. Assessment of any rezoning request and any future subdivision of the land includes consideration of the need to provide areas of public open space. The Planning Scheme only requires a developer to provide a maximum of 5% of a site as public open space upon subdivision of the land.
Council proposes to request any future developer of the Samada Street site to provide a total of 10% of the land as public open space. This may require Council to purchase the land in excess of the 5% Planning Scheme requirement.
With regard to the Monash Secondary School site, Council agrees that very careful consideration needs to be made in respect of the future use and development of this land. A significant number of issues, including the matters raised in your letter will have to be assessed prior to any decisions about the future use and development of that site.
In respect of the Monash Primary School site, Council is waiting for information to be provided to complete the request to amend the Planning Scheme. Council must then request the Minister for Planning for authorization to prepare and exhibit a Planning Scheme Amendment.
Immediately following that ministerial authorization, all residents of this part of Notting Hill will be formally notified of the amendment and will have an opportunity to make a submission to Council about the proposal. Submitters to the amendment will also have opportunity to present their concerns to an independent Panel set by the Minister for Planning which will advise Council on the content of the amendment and all submissions.
It is anticipated that this process will commence early in 2007.
If you any further questions in respect of the future use and development of either school sites or the amendment to the Monash Planning Scheme process please do not hesitate to contact Council’s Coordinator Strategic Planning, Mr Brian Goyen on 9518 3620.

So up from 5% to 10% - is this good and what are the responses from Notting Hill people?
Any comments

Welcome to the Notting Hill Community Blog

The internet address for the blog is http://nottinghillmelbourne.blogspot.com/ so you might want to bookmark it.
I am using http://www.blogger.com/ and Google email for the site.
I have called it Notting Hill in Melbourne to deter traffic about that other famous Notting Hill in London and that annoying film of the same name that has that simpering actor Hugh Grant in it.
The blog has been set up for and by the residents of the suburb of Notting Hill to allow them to exchange information and news, and discuss issues affecting them, or of interest to the community.
Notting Hill is our cosy little suburb in the vast south east suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.
It is near Monash University and bounded by the freeways and arterial roads of the suburbs.
I will be putting up links about Notting Hill and invite contributions from anyone interested.
This weblog is under construction and probably always will be. I hope it will be built by all of us.

Users can have their say in several ways.

• I will post news and items of interest regularly on the site. Users can then comment on the posting adding their voice and opinion to the conversation.
• If people want to make a posting rather than a comment then they can email me at nottynews@gmail.com with their reports, items or concerns and I will put them up as a posting.
• Alternatively if anyone wants to post I can assign authoring access to them to they can post when ever they want to and invite comments on their postings.
  

The blog is currently a public blog and we will see how it goes. If it is gets too much spam or misuse we can make it a private blog and restrict access to those who want it.
I look forward to putting up news items, copies of correspondence, statements, media releases, reports, advices, pctures and what ever else takes our fancy.