Doncaster Templestowe Council, Transport, Vic State Government 4 comments

KEW TO DONCASTER TRAIN HAD THE GREEN LIGHT

By on March 28th, 2017

STANDING COMMITEE RECOMMENDED RAILWAY.LINE TO DONCASTER 1928

“terminating on the east side of Council street, opposite the shire hall”

Kew Railway Station 1928        Click to enlarge

Reporting on its inquiry into the many proposals which have been made for the provision of railway facilities for the Doncaster and Warrandyte districts, the Railways Standing Committee yesterday recommended to the Legislative Assembly the construction of a line from the present railhead at Kew to a point opposite the Doncaster Shire Hall. The proposed ex- tension will be six miles 29 chains long.

Assuming that the land for the line is provided free of cost by the people of the district, the estimated cost of the line is £494,970, of which £438,500 represents the cost of the actual construction and equipment of the line and stations, and £56,456 the cost of the necessary rolling stock. Argus 1928
Continue reading KEW TO DONCASTER TRAIN HAD THE GREEN LIGHT →

Air Pollution, Australian Government, Climate Change, Solar Power, State Government 6 comments

SOLAR INCENTIVE AFTER CLOSURE OF HAZELWOOD

By on March 16th, 2017

SOLAR FEED-IN TARIFFS TO REMAIN HIGH  AS VICTORIA CLOSES POWER STATION

FiT and Retail             Click to enlarge

The Victorian government has just made a move unprecedented in recent Australian solar history – they have moved to mandate a higher minimum solar feed in rate than what was previously on offer. From 1 July 2017, the new mandatory minimum rate for solar feed into the grid will be 11.3c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) however this not a fixed  rate and will be subject to review every year. Victoria will lose 20% of its power generation with the closure of the Hazelwood power station which has prompted a steep surge in electricity prices. Solar PV owners in Victoria had been receiving a paltry Feed in Tariff (FiT) rate of around 5-6 cents/kWh for their surplus electricity going back into the grid. This was then on-sold to neighbours, sometimes travelling only a few metres down the poles and wires, for 29c on average Continue reading SOLAR INCENTIVE AFTER CLOSURE OF HAZELWOOD →

Air Pollution, Electric Cars, Public Health, Traffic Gridlock 6 comments

POLLUTANTS THAT COME OUT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

By on March 6th, 2017

The major car pollutants are carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide and particulates. Most pollutants come from the exhausts but brake pads, tires, oil, grease, anti-freeze, hydraulic fluids, and a number of cleaning agents can also contribute pollutants to the environment

Toxic Air Pollution Worse in Stop/Start Traffic
Click to Enlarge

While the government does monitor pollutants, these measurements bear little resemblance to the pollution you and your family experience while moving through daily life. EPA also requires that measured concentrations of regulated pollutants be averaged to determine compliance with standards. Especially in the case of Particulate matter (soot), for example, which can damage health.

Although we have grown to accept the smell of engine exhaust pollution as a part of our everyday life. This is Continue reading POLLUTANTS THAT COME OUT OF MOTOR VEHICLES →

Apartments, High Density developments, Vic State Government, VicRoads, Whitehorse Council 4 comments

BOX HILL CENTRE A CITY OF TINY CONCRETE BOXES

By on February 21st, 2017

This is for those interested in the future of Box Hill Major Activity Centre.  As far as I am concerned it is a total disaster and somewhere to stay away from.  Last time I went to check it I noticed there were two policemen on bicycles so I stopped and asked them what they were doing and they told me they have to be on bicycles to move fast to try to stop the sale of drugs going on openly. Mary Drost

Heights In Storeys

Dear Mary Drost – I am passing this on as some may be interested to hear Senior Whitehorse Planning officers explain the proposed amendment of building guidelines for Box Hill Major Activity Centre: http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au/Amendment-C175.html     

Nine precincts are Continue reading BOX HILL CENTRE A CITY OF TINY CONCRETE BOXES →

Cancer Council, Public Health, Skin Cancer, Slap On A Hat 5 comments

HATS OFF TO THOSE WHO KEPT ON WEARING HATS

By on February 8th, 2017

BARE HEADED—-THE BRAVE NEW ERA

Hats were more than fashionable they were required

When ever you see a photo of a crowd from around the turn of the last century, up until the 1960’s, it seemed that practically every man and most women were wearing a hat regardless of their economic status or profession. When did the wearing of hats become unpopular? After about 1964, nowadays, if you walk down Flinder Street, travel by Bus or Train or attend race meetings you will see very few people wearing a wide brimmed hat. They have became so rare you might have thought that the hat itself was the cause of diseases – like skin cancers. The reason we wore hats, like other clothing items, was to protect our skin. In addition, less exposure to the sun delayed the development Continue reading HATS OFF TO THOSE WHO KEPT ON WEARING HATS →

Apartments, Chinese, Federal Government, Lending Authorities, Manningham Council 8 comments

SECOND HAND APARTMENTS CHEAPER THAN EVER

By on January 27th, 2017

High Rental Ratio To Purchase Price But No Capital Gain

SQM research. Apt Prices in Red/Yellow  Houses in Blue. Doncaster 3108    Click to enlarge

Apartments may seem an attractive purchase because of their higher rent yield to purchase price ratio but the short term gain is nullified by the absence of any long term capital gain. In the period since 2011, Doncaster asking prices have fallen by as much as $50K. This is one of the reasons why Australian lending authorities are revaluing off-the-plan dwellings, sold up to two years beforehand, well below the initial purchase price. As a result, ­purchasers are ­required to cover any shortfall ­between the sales price and what banks are willing to lend. Depending on the amount of money paid, their have been instances where purchasers have defaulted, walked away and forfeited their deposit. If the trend continues it will be financial trap for owner occupiers who will have Continue reading SECOND HAND APARTMENTS CHEAPER THAN EVER →

Bureaucrats, Climate Change, Propaganda, Social Engineering 35 comments

LONDONERS SKATED WHEN THAMES RIVER FROZE

By on January 8th, 2017

FROM DESERTS AND GLACIERS TO GRASSLANDS AND FORESTS

The world has continued to get warmer since the Little Ice Age (about 1400-1700 AD), the period when they skated on the Thames River, and will likely continue to warm for another 200-300 years, in stops and starts, towards a max temp roughly matching the Medieval Warm Period when Icelandic Vikings raised cattle, sheep and goats in grasslands on Greenland’s south western coast.

Londoners Skating on the Thames River 1684                             Photos British Museum

U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) who do no original research of their own, but instead periodically assess and summarise published scientific literature on climate change, have done their best to exaggerate the rate of warming by the way they produce their charts.

Lying with Charts Continue reading LONDONERS SKATED WHEN THAMES RIVER FROZE →

Manningham Council, Pedestrians, Traffic & Parking, Vic State Government, VicRoads 6 comments

NO GRADE SEPARATION IN WESTFIELD EXPANSION

By on January 1st, 2017

LACK OF PLAN TO SEPARATE BUSES COULD STYMIE AMENDMENT REQUEST

Westfield Extension 1.
Click to Enlarge

Westfield Extension 2.
Click to enlarge

In June 2013, Manningham engineers advised that a grade-separation of Buses through Doncaster Hill would be required. “Plans have yet to be completed but it is likely, given the area topography, a combination of both bridges and tunnels would be needed to achieve the desired grade separation, without this, road-based public transport services will fail to operate successfully on Doncaster Hill due to the delay and impact, primarily to buses, caused by ongoing development and increasing traffic congestion in the activities area and the surrounding road network”

“There will also be Continue reading NO GRADE SEPARATION IN WESTFIELD EXPANSION →

Apartments, High Density developments, Manningham Council, Vic State Government 13 comments

NEW APARTMENT DESIGN STANDARDS IN VICTORIA

By on December 18th, 2016

LIGHT, SPACE AND STORAGE FOR ALL NEW APARTMENTS?

Direct light to all rooms           Click to enlarge

The long-awaited standards, announced on Friday, effective from March 17 next year, will put an end to apartments with small rooms without windows, borrowed light or “Gun Barrel” designs, where a window to a room is located at the end of a long corridor. With the new regulations, all bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and studies will require windows that are visible and have access to natural light, not from light wells or reflected light, to all positions in the rooms.  

Backlog in Inner Melb
Click to enlarge

Unfortunately the new provisions do not apply to approvals or applications received before March 17th 2017. Currently there is a backlog of more than the 50,000 apartments that would be exempt from the new regulations plus further applications pending that the authority might receive in the meantime before the new apartment provisions come into operation. New apartments will be required to have between six to 10 cubic metres of extra storage space. This reform was encouraged by the investigation into the fire at Docklands’ Lacrosse building (photo next page) that revealed residents were storing their possessions in fire hydrant cupboards and on balconies, due to overcrowding, that helped fuel the blaze.

New open Continue reading NEW APARTMENT DESIGN STANDARDS IN VICTORIA →

Apartments, Emergency Evacuation, High Density developments, State Government 4 comments

WYNNE SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR PANEL AND PUBLIC

By on December 11th, 2016

“Halfway through its term, Victorian Labor has joined the big-city development camp. Labor’s strategy is to side with vested interests while pretending to listen to rising resident concerns about rampant development. But packed public meetings across the metropolitan area are demanding greater development regulation, pitting residents against big capital, unions and compliant gov’t”.

Michael Buxton is Professor Environment and Planning, RMIT University.

Twin 70 Storey for families Click to enlarge

70 Storeys for families
Click to enlarge

In the Age Newspaper article, 11/12/16, he writes : No government ever asked the people of Melbourne if they wanted their city to become a high rise metropolis. No plan set such a goal. Governments decided for us.  One explanation for Labor’s approach is its addiction to land-related tax revenue – currently at about $7.6 billion annually – and its desperation to maintain the construction industry share of 7 per cent of state production. The construction industry wields enormous influence through its multi-layered development, business and service elements. Peak development groups lobby effectively. Unions are a powerful lobby group with Labor. One example of the government’s approach is the recent rules Continue reading WYNNE SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR PANEL AND PUBLIC →