The state government funding program for the maintenance of existing rail infrastructure and building the MMP tunnel and its proposed extensions, such as the lines to West Doncaster and Melbourne Airport, “is so fanciful that it may as well have had a dozen tatts lotto tickets attached to it”…analogy by previous transport minister Terrence Mulder The Victorian […]
Category: Manningham Council
PUBLIC BACKLASH AT PRIMARY SCHOOL REMOVAL
Parents and supporters had gathered at the Manningham offices and on the steps of parliament house, to express their anger at the prospect of losing their primary school for the sake of council’s high rise strategy. The Doncaster, Council Street, primary school land looked likely to be the first casualty under the state government’s rationalisation […]
APARTMENT BUILDINGS ON LARGE BLOCKS ONLY
“If a lot has an area less than 1,800m², a townhouse style development proposal only will be considered but should be a maximum of two storeys” Manningham Council say they will no longer allow three storey apartment developments on land under 1800 sq m. (usually three house sites) . This applies to precincts A & B of the DDO8 […]
PLANNING BILL GETS COMMUNITY THUMBS DOWN
Recognising Objections Bill 2015, now before state parliament, is so weak and watery it may have the opposite effect and limit resident objections. 10 storey next to a 2 storey zone The number of objections will only to be considered appropriate when the determining authority deems the proposed use or development may have a “significant […]
RATE INCOME BOOST – APARTMENTS GET SMALLER
The higher yield from approving small apartments means more ratepayers for Council and higher profits for developers. The majority of the Manningham permit application reports indicate that council is allowing at least 40% of the total number of apartments in major high rise buildings to have only one bedroom. These buildings appear to be targeting […]
LIGHT RAIL – DONCASTER TO CITY VIA FREEWAY
The Victorian Transport Action Group (VTAG), an independent forum of transport experts from various disciplines, shares a vision of a highly mobile Melbourne with an increased population being effectively and sustainably serviced by a versatile, strategically expanded public transport network. In this paper VTAG proposes Route 100 as a solution for the car dependent and congested North-Eastern suburbs. Route 100 […]
TRAM WAS PART OF DONCASTER TRANSPORT PLAN
The presence of highly visible rails and overhead equipment of a Tram line on Doncaster Hill would have provided its residents with a stable, reliable and a symbolic connection to the entire metropolitan network. Buses, except on the dedicated freeway lanes which cater only for City bound commuters, were less preferred than a fixed rail […]
FOREIGN BUYERS RAISING THE BAR IN DONCASTER
The Government’s proposal to impose a foreign ownership property tax had not impeded overseas investment in Doncaster. The tax is now being reviewed after it emerged there were potentially unintentional consequences for first home buyers and larger developer companies that have significant foreign ownership. A property at 21 Clay Drive, Doncaster (931 M2), recently sold at […]
DONCASTER HILL PED&CYCLE PLAN ABANDONED
Despite being endorsed by Councillors and approved by council engineers, after years of promoting the shared path circuit plan with expensive brochures and consultation etc., Manningham council had abandoned the scheme in 2009 due to safety concerns thought to have arisen from the excessive slopes of the area. Unfortunately all that is left of the […]
CITIES ON THE VERGE OF A LIGHT RAIL REVIVAL
“Light Rail Transit (LRT) provides cities with a high quality, medium-capacity public transport technology with higher performance, capacity and passenger comfort than traditional street Bus and Tram systems, but at lower per-kilometre capital cost than heavy rail” by Scott Martin, Track Signal Magazine The Victorian Transport Action Group’s (VTAG) detailed plan for a Doncaster Light Rail […]