Author: melformerribek
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Council is again investing in Wilson Avenue after spending $1 million in the last term on the greenspace and bouldering wall. Why? Because the Wilson corridor is home to a multitude of development parcels. Ratepayers are picking-up the tab to make these sites more attractive to developers – again! The Neometro project at Jewell, supported…
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While it is wonderful to see the work of groups like the Ewing Street Road Safety Campaign, this indicates that more overall planning is needed to address bottlenecks, rat runs and key pedestrian/ cyclist routes. I’m calling for more safe crossing points, especially on major school and kinder pedestrian routes. Everywhere people are being urged…
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The toy library needs more support – a second premises, a better deal on rent and most importantly, ongoing funding. The toy library runs on volunteer effort and goodwill with a small amount of paid staff time. However Council only funds it on a limited-time basis. Funding needs to be provided on an ongoing basis.…
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Many parents use bike trailers around Brunswick. But locking them up is a challenge. Standard form bike racks are not always the correct size and the dimensions of bike trailers present a challenge. More parking spaces for trailers are needed, especially around shopping strips and public facilities such as childcare centres, schools, libraries, pools and…
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We are lucky to have range of small local venues in the area available to hire. But booking these is not easy. We need simpler, easier, faster booking that facilitates community groups and individuals utilising public facilities for meetings, events, fundraisers, birthday parties, and all those other events that build community. Many council facilities are…
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I made the following points at the recent Brunswick Residents Network ‘Meet the candidates’ forum. While I am in favour of retaining sufficient car parking to support Sydney Road’s thriving shopping strip and to ensure residents can access much needed services, car parks represent affordable land for future new open space not for housing. ~~~~~…
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Pet ownership plays an incredibly important role in fostering peoples’ emotional and social wellbeing. Moreland rightly has many places where dog owners can exercise and enjoy their dog. Council has clearly defined and publicised guidelines for walking dogs including a list of off-leash parks and rules for managing dog’s behaviour off-leash. Most councils require dog owners to…
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As a working mum, I understand how critical council services are to us: affordable, high quality childcare convenient immunisation services professional and supportive Maternal & Child Health services holiday care programs easy access to local shops, especially on kinder/ school runs with reasonable parking and wider car spaces for un/loading kids high quality library collections…
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Whether it’s an 8-storey tower with an excavated carpark or simple renovation to an existing home, construction brings noise. Regardless of your view on development, amenity of existing residents must be preserved through strong enforcement of laws relating to noise and ensuring building permits carry strict conditions, which are enforced. Noise complaints are a waste…
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I’ve been involved in both successful and unsuccessful council Community Grants. Both times the experience has been bureaucratic, complex and slow. While accountability for public money is crucial, council needs to be more focused on how to facilitate community activity, not limit it, by wasting volunteers’ precious time. Hidden criteria and opaque decision-making reduce confidence…
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This is a photo of pigface – Carpobrotus modestus – one of Victoria’s most significant indigenous plants. You may have seen it, or perhaps not, because it is effectively extinct in our urban environment. I help coordinate Brunswick Communities for Nature to help people reclaim under-used public space, such as nature strips, and plant them with…
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VicTrack owns Victoria’s transport land, assets and infrastructure, but VicTrack are also property developers and they are currently developing around Jewell Station. Unfortunately none of the proceeds will be used to fund improvements to transport infrastructure or station amenities. The chosen property developer, NeoMetro, were also tasked with undertaking the community consultation. During that stage various…
Mel Yuan for Brunswick 