A meeting with Frankston City Council

Residents keep what was already theirs

Monday 21st October at Franston City Council Ordinary Meeting was the culmination of years of work by Karingal residents to stop Frankston council from selling off the site that was once the Gretana Crescent Tennis Club.

1400+ Signatures

Last night more than 1400 signatures were presented to Frankston council by Cr Glen Aitken in a package tied with a pretty bright red bow. This as councilor Aitken pointed out was the largest petition in at least the last 20 years and may be the largest petition ever to have been presented to be presented to Frankston Council. Petitioners had verified that over 1000 of the signatures were from the Karingal area. The final count of Karingal residents that signed is probably closer to 1350 which is more than 10% of the Karingal population. Nearly 15% of the adult population signed the petition.

Frankston City Council, (L- R) Cr Suzette Tayler, Cr James Dooley, Cr Rebekah Spelman, Cr Darrel Taylor, Cr Sandra Mayer, Cr Brian Cunial, Cr Glenn Aitken, Cr Michael O'Reilly, Cr Colin Hampton. Picture: Mark Stewart Source: News Limited

For this massive effort, all within two weeks, Karingal needs to thank Cr Aitken, Glenda and Pauline for their tireless hours standing in front of shops around Karingal collecting signatures.

There have been meetings upon meetings upon meetings to plan a response to Frankston City's plan to sell the site. The hard work for this fell to the Karingal Local Area Planning Committee (sorry I can't resist this - the KLAP committee) ironically set up by Frankston City Council and the Karingal Residents Association KRA. On these committees representatives from Karingal Neighbour Hood House and the Frankston Historical Society were also represented. Karingal's three ward councilors, Cr Glen Aitken, Cr Rebecca Spelman, and Cr James Dooley attended many of the meetings and worked tirelessly in support of Karingal residents. So to all the Karingal community says a big thank you.

Ordinary Council meetings generally are a rather boring affair - but last night's meeting was anything but boring. The public gallery was wall to wall people, Councillors and Council staff scrambled to obtain extra seats for those that attended. Groups represented at the Council meeting included: Karingal Local Area Planning Committee, Karingal Residents Association, Ballam Park Scouts, Frankston Historical Society, Karingal Neighbourhood House just to name a few.

So how did the voting go

Three residents, Mr Tebble, Mr Glenn and Mr Dosen spoke on behalf of the Karingal Community opposing the sale of the site. Cr Rebekah Spelman moved a motion to not consider selling therefore taking the sale of the site off the council's agenda. She spoke extremely well. Cr James Dooley spoke in support of Rebekah's motion. Cr Brian Cunial spoke - said he originally supported selling the Gretana Cres site but saw how serious residents were and changed his mind. Cr Glenn Aitken spoke in support of Rebekah's motion. He also pointed out that Cr Darrel Taylor had only recently stated the importance of petitions as a measure of public opinion (when he had only 365 signatures) and pointing out that Councilor's were there to represent the people, and to listen to what resident's had to say, if they didn't do that they shouldn't be there. Cr Darrel Taylor spoke against the motion saying we should ask all of Frankston whether we should sell the site. I wonder if Cr Taylor would want all of Frankston helping to decide if he should be elected again, or helping decide if he should ever get to be Mayor. Cr Rebekah Spelman summarized.

Cr Taylor asked if there was a tied vote which way the Mayor Cr Sandra Mayer would cast her casting vote. (As Mayor she effectively gets two votes one ordinary vote and one casting vote if their is a tie) The Mayor pointed out that if the vote was even she would have to cast a casting vote for the status quo i.e. to keep the park, much to Cr Taylor's disgust. This meant that even if she voted against the motion tying the vote she would then have to vote against herself and those supporting Cr Spelman's motions would win anyway. So she voted in support. I'm not saying Cr Sandra Mayer used this as the basis for her support, I did not get that impression, but on the other hand she is a bright lady and I'm sure she was exactly aware of what she was doing. Deputy Mayor Cr Colin Hampton was away. Cr Michael O'Reilly - voted against, Cr Suzette Tayler - voted against.

The Gallery was not quiet

One thing you need to know, the gallery was not quiet, and the Mayor threatened to remove us all, and hold the Council meeting in closed session so we would not know the result on the night. I suspect she already knew at that point how the vote was going to go. It was interesting to see the Mayor, Cr Sandra Mayer, in action. She was really on the ball. Frankston may have indeed a really good Mayor.

Public invited to discuss future of tennis club

Public invited to meeting to discuss future of tennis club

A PUBLIC meeting about the future of the former Karingal Tennis Club site will be held on October 10.

Karingal’s Phil Lodge said the group would present its plan for the site.
“It’s now at a vital stage where we need to do everything we can to convince Frankston Council to keep the site for the community and not turn it into residential developments,’’ Mr Lodge said.

Frankston Council demolished the derelict pavilion in May this year after it had been left dormant since the tennis club vacated it in 2008. Mr Lodge said since it was torn down it had not been maintained. “It is still a mess and in some respects worse than before,’’ Mr Lodge said.

Council chief executive Dennis Hovenden said since the ordinary meeting in March, council officers had been “thoroughly investigating all options for the future of the site”. “A further report has been finalised to go before council’s October 21 meeting to seek further direction,’’ Mr Hovenden said.

The meeting is at Karingal Place at 7pm.

Frankston Standard Leader P5 - 30 Sept 2013

Details of the meeting can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/170536943138822/

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Frankston Standard Leader
30 Sep 2013

The Value of Public Space

The Value of Public Space

Sir Stuart Lipton, Chairman, CABE

Public space is all around us, a vital part of everyday urban life: the streets we pass through on the way to school or work, the places where children play, or where we encounter nature and wildlife; the local parks in which we enjoy sports, walk the dog and sit at lunchtime; or simply somewhere quiet to get away for a moment from the bustle of a busy daily life. In other words, public space is our open-air living room, our outdoor leisure centre.

The Economic Value of Public Space

A high-quality public environment can have a significant impact on the economic life of urban centres big or small, and is therefore an essential part of any successful regeneration strategy. As towns increasingly compete with one another to attract investment, the presence of good parks, squares, gardens and other public spaces becomes a vital business and marketing tool: companies are attracted to locations that offer well-designed,  well-managed public places and these in turn attract customers, employees and services. In town centres, a pleasant and well-maintained environment increases the number of people visiting retail areas, otherwise known as ‘footfall’. A good public landscape also offers very clear benefits to the local economy in terms of stimulating increased house prices, since house-buyers are willing to pay to be near green space

The Impact on Physical and Mental Health

In the UK ‘Obesity already costs more in public health terms, and will overtake smoking as Britain’s biggest killer in 10-15 years if current trends persist’. There is growing concern about the health of the nation and particularly that of our children and young people. A variety of research has identified these startling facts: 20 per cent of four-year-olds are overweight, and 8.5 per cent of six-year-olds and 15 per cent of 15-year-olds are obese. This increase in obesity is linked to ever more sedentary lifestyles and a reduction in outdoor activity.  Evidence shows that adult patterns of exercise are set early on  in life. Inactivity breeds inactivity, so a lack of exercise when young can in turn create problems in adulthood such as diabetes and heart disease. It is not just the nation’s physical health that is at risk: there are concerns too about people’s mental well-being, given the stressful lives that many now lead. Each year the economy loses millions of working days through stress-related employee absence.

Clearly these problems need to be addressed. Access to good-quality, well-maintained public spaces can help to improve our physical and mental health by encouraging us to walk more, to play sport, or simply to enjoy a green and natural environment. In other words, our open spaces are a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity and ill-health.

The Benefits for Children and Young People

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have the right to play, recreation and culture. Play is crucial for many aspects of children’s development, from the acquisition of social skills, experimentation and the confrontation and resolution of emotional crises, to moral understanding, cognitive skills such as language and comprehension, and of course physical skills. But increasing urbanisation has left our children with far fewer opportunities than previous generations to play freely outdoors and experience the natural environment. Good-quality public spaces – including well-designed school grounds – can help to fill this gap, providing children with opportunities for fun, exercise and learning.

The Social Dimension of Public Space

Public spaces are open to all, regardless of ethnic origin, age or gender, and as such they represent a democratic forum for citizens and society. When properly designed and cared for, they bring communities together, provide meeting places and foster social ties of a kind that have been disappearing in many urban areas. These spaces shape the cultural identity of an area, are part of its unique character and provide a sense of place for local communities.

Value from Biodiversity and Nature

The significant increase in hard surfacing and the reduction in green spaces lead to higher temperatures in towns and cities than in the surrounding countryside. This is known as the ‘heat island effect’. Vegetation – whether in public spaces or private gardens – can help to redress this imbalance. It brings many important environmental benefits to urban areas, including the cooling of air and the absorption of atmospheric pollutants. Vegetation also provides an opportunity for people to be close to ‘nature’, with the associated positive impact that this can bring in terms of mental health and the simple pleasure of  experiencing trees, birds, possums, ladybirds and other wildlife in an urban situation.

source: Sir Stuart Lipton, Chairman, CABE
http://www.worldparksday.com/files/FileUpload/files/resources/the-value-of-public-space.pdf

Many Thanks to Melinda Shelley for providing the link and support.

https://www.causes.com/posts/821100

Please sign our online petition and come to our public meeting.

You can download an official petition form from here.

Frankston Watch

Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda

 

Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda

Frankston Council's Idea of Community Consultation
Join our Community Event

Frankston City Council whether in whole or in part seems to have a policy of: "Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda."  The words that come from Council's mouth or from Councilors, or the Administration don't matter. It doesn't matter what they say, it's what they do that counts.

You don't have to live in Frankston for very long before you find that whether by word or deed Frankston Council and the Council administration have an active policy of ignoring the wishes of the community, and are intent on pursuing their own agenda.

Just look around, complaint's all around. The Frankston Beach Association says:

A little over 12 months ago, Council released its policy on Community Engagement. This policy document contains statements like:

"Council seeks to demonstrate transparent, open and accountable leadership and will engage the community's talent, knowledge and resources....."

"implementation of local area planning..... enabling input from people who have a stake and an interest in issues affecting their quality of life....."

"Consultation and engagement are essential foundations of a strong community.....".

Despite this policy being in place, we continue to find far too many major decisions being made by Council, where nothing but a veil of secrecy is being applied in the Chamber. We have already highlighted our concerns about the lack of transparency from Council with the South East Water development ..

Not so long ago, a group of residents in Karingal felt they weren't being listened to and so the Karingal Residents Association was formed, and became an incorporated body earlier this year.

Perhaps it is just those two organisations that aren't happy with Franskton Council. But no, there seems to be a growing list. Here's another three, and not all groups that have complaints or "reservations" about Frankston Council's consultation with the community have website's or blogs.

• Long Island Resident's Group
• Kananook Creek Association
• Seaford Community Committee

So what seems to be the problem?

Here's a current example.

Last year (2012) council decided to consult with Karingal Residents and had 40 residents turn up to a workshop.  They created a local area plan. As far as anybody can tell, this is the same as the outcome of the formation of the Karingal Local Area Planning (KLAP) Committee this year 2013 - KLAP Local Area Plan 2013. But if you dig back further in history, there were meetings even before that. No 1 thing on the agenda was always turning the Gretana Crescent Tennis Courts into a useful community green and recreational space. It's been an issue for years.

Lack of real intent and honesty

What really shows the lack of real intent and honesty of Council and the Council administration is that months before the meetings in 2013, before it was even discussed with residents Council had already obtained a permit to pull down the Tennis Court Club rooms. Then they had a meeting to discuss the issue, even though for all practical purposes they had already decided what they wanted to do.

So it seems that Frankston Council thinks it is OK to waste the time of 40 or so residents, 3 or four council staff, for two or three hours, so they can still do what they please. On the issue of Gretana Crescent they have done this a number of times. The truth is that they have known for a number of years the views of residents, but that wasn't what was wanted by the Council and it seems particularly by certain sections of Council Administration. You could almost conclude that since they already had a permit, and once Council felt it had enough support and could get away with it, they went ahead and pulled down the Club rooms as they had intended when they got the the necessary permits in Jan 2013. The only conclusion you can come to from this is that Council actively set out to deceive the residents of Karingal.

We're their play thing

Don't be so harsh you say, you're kidding. After they had pulled down they Club rooms they called another meeting to plan what the site should be used for. Then shortly after Karingal residents were told Council had decided to sell the site anyway.

Council and the Council administration aren't some poor country bumpkins who have no idea what they are doing. They know, and still do it. They disrespect and disregard Karingal residents, and it seems from other sites almost all residents of Frankston. We're their play things.

Join our Community Event

Frankston Watch

Petition to save Gretana Crescent

Petition to save Gretana Crecent

Both the Karingal Residents Association and the Karingal Local Area Planning committee have been working hard on behalf of the community to save Gretana Crescent open space from being sold off. Their latest effort is to create a petition to be presented to Frankston Council.  You can down load the petition here: Petition to Frankston Council

The Petition

The petition aims to have: FRANKSTON CITY COUNCIL RETAIN OWNERSHIP OF THE GRETANA CRESCENT RESERVE. This is rather than sell it off to land developers.

The petition call on the Mayor and Councillors of Frankston City Council to desist any and all moves to sell the Gretana Crescent Reserve for private development and note that:

• Council needs to respect the Karingal Community’s overwhelming desire to retain this open space in full for active and passive recreational purposes such as tennis, basketball and children’s playground;
• The Karingal community places a high value on open space and wants the reserve improved immediately and reserved for our children’s future;
• With the Frankston Housing Strategy forecasting higher density, high-rise housing and the Karingal Activities Structure Plan highlighting the expansion of Karingal Centro, the Karingal community’s reliance on the Gretana Crescent Reserve and other open spaces in Karingal will escalate.

Save the Gretana Reserve meeting

The Karingal Local Area Planning committee is holding a public meeting in support of keeping the Gretana Crescent Reserve as just that. The meeting details are below:

KARINGAL LAP Committee INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

 SAVE
THE
GRETANA RESERVE
RESIDENTS MEETING

When: Thursday October 10, 2013 @ 7.00 pm.
Where: Karingal Place
103 Ashleigh Avenue, Frankston

The Facebook link is here.  Join up, say your coming.

Sign our on line petition here. Yes to broaden the scope of our campaign we have created a Causes petition.

https://www.causes.com/campaigns/34112-frankston-city-council-to-keep-the-gretana-crescent-reserve

Hope fully Frankston Council will realise the Community really wants the Gretana Crescent Reserve kept.

Frankston Watch