Darebin Appropriate Development Association

Dear DADA Folk,
We met, we talked, we welcomed some new members.
The notes are attached.
Many thanks to all of those who work so hard on our stuff.
Maria
DADA

• 20151013-DADA-notes

Darebin Appropriate Development Association
Web: https://www.darebinada.org

Meeting Notes: 13th of October, 2015

Present: Marion Coffey, Keith Coffey, Chris Erlandsen, Sally Mendes, Maria Poletti, Melissa Di Naccio, Harris Robotis Apologies: Mandy Baird, Craig Walters, Meryl Waugh

1. Business Arising:
a. Golden Guys seem a popular idea but not at the moment, perhaps another time. Chris has suggested we go to council with the idea of an award for best sustainability practice Action: Chris to research other councils and bring back ideas to us to then take to council. Scrap book idea for DADA web site where people can send in photos of poor development, before and after shots, basic details like address, developers names, details of faults, what is planned.etc. Action: Maria
b. Council flooded with planning applications; Action: Nola sending a further letter asking for some clarification of money collected and spent. Action: Maria to seek out FOI process.
c. Discussed other city councils plan for buying up houses to eventually convert into public open space. Action: Maria to do more research to bring back to the meeting. Stonnington Council
d. 748 to 750 Plenty Road, 4 stories, 22 apartments with some at 40 square metres. Action: Mandy to keep an eye on it.
e. Community Consultation in the development process – are there any precedents for making this compulsory? Kelly suggested a community consultation process where developers have to meet with the community in consultation before the planning application is submitted. Action: Kelly and Maria to work on basics of a community consultation process to bring back to meeting and to go to council.
f. What to do about the 470 High Street development – while it’s still going through the approvals process, workmen have been on-site undertaking preliminary works (are any developments fully stopped?) on an assessment of compaction. In mediation, last month, Action: Kelly to follow up with council planner on the mediation outcome.
g. 672 Plenty Road, revised plans adding a story making it 4 at front, 5 at back, Action: Mandy and neighbours will send new objections on the amended plans.
h. Reply from the Minister’s office to Mandy’s emailed letter circulated and discussed Action: Mandy to reply in disgust to how condescending and deflective it is.
i. Agreed to try and meet with other Fiona Richardson. Action: Keith to call Fiona Richardson’s office to ask for meeting. DONE. Meeting planned for Friday 16th of October confirmed
j. C136, C137 and Heritage concerns. C136 and C137 back to council on Monday. Reply from Greg Hughes to Chris’s letter circulated. Action: DADA to write a letter of support for broader protection around stand alone heritage houses. Chris to send ideas to Maria. Action: Folk to attend meeting. DONE: Feedback from Chris that there was some recognition of the heritage concerns but no real change in C137 to effect on the impact of adjacent properties on heritage buildings. A possible next step is State Heritage.
k. Residents from Northcote meeting with Council Planners. Action: Maria to meet with Kelly and bring back key points. Ask to include notification to at least all the neighbours within a 50 metre radius of the proposed site. DONE: Met with council planning officers. Confirmed that 1001 apartments in a block around Separation Street.
l. Discussed standing orders. Action: Craig to talk to Trent about the best way to get something like standing orders on all decisions so we can have more transparency on how councilors vote.
m. DADA Vague Objection List circulated for feedback. Action: Maria to give feedback to keep objections general but send longer letters or objections to ward councilors. Action: Craig to send info on air-conditioner. Action: Maria to send Mandy a copy. DONE
n. Smorgies developers, because of the price of construction, have decided to go back to VCAT to increase the number of units back to almost the original number. Action: Maria sent an example
of a letter to ask the Minister to call in the application. DONE Petition that went in with over 130 signatures. Richard Wynne replied to all. VCAT mediation with the participants came to an agreement, which because of a lawyer mistake has not been signed off. Developers came with a new plan incorporating amalgamated 1 beds to 3 beds. Ended up with 18×3 beds.
o. 13 Brown Street, demolished house, worried about asbestos. Also concern that work has started without planning permission. Action: Craig to ask council if they have a planning application and do they know the development has begun.
p. Discussion about comments status as objections. Action: Meryl to test planning alerts by objecting and seeing if she is listed as an objector. DONE: Tested. Objection via writing a comment on the Planning Alerts link, was picked up by Darebin and treated as a valid objection. All the relevant paperwork and notices were duly sent as if a listed objector.
q. Discussion of lot consolidated sites over 1000 square metres or 1200 square metres. Also the interface is a concern that it isn’t integrated.
Action: Craig to ask D Rudd about footprint on consolidated blocks and the status of garage.

2. New Business:
a. C136 and C137 and Plenty Road Petition. DADA folk will be emailed link and asked to support.
b. Follow-up with Robin Scott’s office. Maria called back and spoke to Robin’s assistant but there was nothing new. Action: Maria to call and ask to speak to Robin or for him to call back.
c. Data collection on voting at Planning Meetings Action: Maria can flag on the blog that we are collecting data and will publish before election time. Well done Mandy and thank you. Please continue to collect data until June next year and crunch the figures on councilor voting.
d. Save McDonnell Park, Maria sent out the request for support because she thought it fit the issues usually supported by DADA, our charter objectives. There was some negative feedback from a DADA member who was asked to be removed from the list.
e. Room Rental: In Darebin when looking for a rental it has become very hard to find anything other than a room in a house rather than the whole house. Not as big as rooming house so different legislation and protection. Action: Sally to find more details so that we can develop strategies.
f. State Government review of councils asking for our suggestions. Please have your say at this link:

3. Press:
a. Maria had two phone calls from Julia Irwin while away. Replied via email, no response since?
b. Preston Leader, July 28th, VCAT to rule on Smorgies site.

4. Objector Updates:
a. 117 Flinders Street, Thornbury. Council refused application. Going to VCAT, Chris McKenzie acting.
b. 153 Wood Street, Preston. Council refused application.
c. 80 Tyler Street, council approved but going to VCAT
d. 89 Darebin Boulevard, 3 double story apartments. Objections gone in.
e. 584 Plenty Road, Taken away ‘for sale’ signs and replaced with ‘for lease’ signs. Chris made a complaint to the enforcement team about the solar hot water services added on the roof because they were not included in the approved plans. Poor on updates promised but eventually there was the following reply. At this stage the objection will be sent to the developer who will probably apply for a variation. Discussed asking for a report on what variations have been granted by council officers in the last 12 months. Action: Question to council: How many variations to approved plans have been granted in the last 12 months? How can planning officers approve variations without the application going back to objectors? Chris to ask question at next council meeting and will ask specifically about his example. Maria and Sally to attend.
f. 3 Harold Street, Went to VCAT, 3 neighbours spoke. They are going for 12 units with a car stacker!

5. Planning Alerts:
This week’s list: 1 Ambon, for blocking the drainage and sewer easement 2 Clark St Reservoir, 8xdouble storey, + parking waiver 12-14 Sheffield, 9 x double and parking waiver 17 Paywit Street, Preston; 4 x double storey and 2 x single storey dwellings

Next Meeting: 7.00pm, Tuesday, November 10th at 33 Dean Street, Preston | More..