Putting even more garden into Garden City

The morning sun illuminates the new trees planted in Fred Jackson Reserve, at the end of Centre Avenue.

Banksias, chinese elms and casaurinas are planted in groups through the Reserve.

Fred Jackson was a long serving Town Clerk of the City of Port Melbourne. You will find a plaque commemorating his service under a tree in the Reserve.

Acknowledging where people prefer to walk

The informal pedestrian desire line on the western side of Princes St opposite the London Hotel has been formalised into a proper path.
It improves the appearance of this prominent corner.

Port of Melbourne meets Port Melbourne

You are invited to catch up with staff from the Port of Melbourne Corporation at a meeting to be held at the Life Saving Victoria Headquarters next Tuesday 5 October - a week from today.

This is an opportunity to speak with representatives from the Port about all matters port related.

To see the magnificent image on/[and] the invitation, click here

The Life Saving Headquarters are at 200 The Boulevard, at the end of Todd Rd.

Activities approved for the Port foreshore this summer

At last night's Council meeting

• Beach tennis was licensed for 3 years [rather than 1 as previously]
• Peak Adventure which runs kayaking sessions out of Sandridge Life Saving Club was licensed for 1 year

Personal trainers with only one client do not require a permit. Personal trainers with more than one client require a permit to operate, but may apply for a permit and licence at any time of the year. The intention of operating a permit system is to get a picture of the extent and impact of the activity through the municipality.

Most contention was around the number and allocation of permits for kiteboarding at West Beach.

Our new secondary school

Have a look at the new school - taken from a restored Graham St footpath! The landscaping is being completed.

The school will open with Year 7 in 2011.

The cruise ship season starts today

The Dawn Princess is lying at Station Pier. The Port of Melbourne Corporation has issued an updated cruise ship schedule which you can access here. They recommend that you check the schedule as it is subject to change

The Port of Melbourne Corporation manages Station Pier and the logistics of cruise shipping.

Grand Final offering

As you well know, this blog has a Port Focus, but occasionally I am tempted to stray.

For the Saints supporters out there, this is for you.

The deck takes shape

photo Ron Cassano

The Minister, the local member and the mayor

Martin Foley welcomed Minister Pallas and members of the community to Princes Pier today to mark the next stage of the reconstruction of Princes Pier. 

Underneath his high vis jacket the mayor, Cllr o'Connor shows his true - St Kilda - colours.

Expected cruise ship visits to Station Pier

The cruise ship season begins this Sunday 26 September with the arrival of the Dawn Princess [eta 8 am]

You can find the cruise ship schedule here.

I keep a copy on the fridge so I can check what ship is in town and when.

More recycling possibilities

The 7:am cafe in Bay St recycles its coffee grounds.

There is a dedicated recycling bin to pick up the coffee grounds once a week.

Sustainable house?

This Port Melbourne front of house caught my eye. Not only were there bicycles hanging from the verandah, but strawberries were growing in the horizontal drainage pipes suspended from the lacework.

Reporting on Council's carbon emissions

Port Phillip Council's commitment is to 'reduce water use, energy use and waste, while increasing the use of renewables in both council operations and the community' and to report on our performance[Council plan 2.1]
Achievement will look like:

• Reduction in the organisation's non-renewable energy and potable water consumption
• Reduction in the community's non-renewable energy and potable water consumption.

The target for reduction in council's carbon emissions is 9.043 tonnes CO2-e*. The quarterly report for April to June 2010 shows the actual result was 10,022 tonnes CO2-e.

The container fridges being used at South Melbourne Market while the 'veggie lane' is being roofed over contributed to us being over target.

* carbon dioxide equivalent

Rouse St - west of Bay St

The Council is putting forward a streetscape plan for this section of Rouse St. The plan introduces more 'green' and trees into the street, and makes it better for walking and cycling. It includes a central median with trees, a cycle lane, and improved parking layout.

If you ever walk, cycle or drive down Rouse St, please fill in the survey [which includes the streetscape plan] here.

Beautiful day

On this first sunny day [that was yesterday] we have had in ages, everything looked beautiful and fresh.

This rather poor picture shows the vessel Enterprize, a replica of the first vessel to navigate the Yarra River in 1835.

The replica was build at the Polly Woodside yard in the 1990s and is based at Williamstown. She is used for bay trips and often sails across Bass Strait for special events. Besides the sails, she is also motorised so as to keep to schedules.

Good planning controls make good neighbours

An Advisory Committee is currently hearing submissions on the Port Environs Planning Framework.
The Committee is reviewing the planning controls for the ports of Melbourne, Hastings, Geelong, and Portland to determine whether they adequately protect the ongoing operation of those ports. Click here to read all the information about the work of the Committee and for the discussion paper on the Port Environs Framework.
You can read the excellent submissions made by community groups Beacon Cove Neighbourhood Association, Port People and PorttoPort here

The Council, in its submission, seeks [among many other things]

• to minimise the impacts of port growth and related freight transport corridors on the local environment and on local communities
• implementation of an efficient road and rail freight network, which reduces the dependence on road frieght, addresses road congestion, and redirects freight traffic away from residential areas

The Council will present its submission on Friday. The hearings are open to the public and are at Planning Panels Victoria, 8 Nicholson St, East Melbourne [on the route 96]

This picture is outside the port boundary, but the operation of these port related services impact on our local community.

Dig In puts in new raised beds

Dig In community garden had a mega working bee today to install several new raised modular garden beds. They were going to get new brick beds to match the old, but couldn't find a bricklayer willing to take on the task.

The beds are highly water efficient using the 'wicking' technique which is explained here.

The mix of gardeners reflects today's Port Melbourne - long term residents, people from Beacon Cove and further afield. There is a mix of expertise too: landscape architects, engineers, a former farmer, teachers and horticulturalists.

Dig In is in Murphy's Reserve - more or less opposite Beacon Rd.

Gaps filled with new trees

Trees that had died in the Liardet St median have been replaced with young trees, as seen in the foreground of this photo.
The grand tree incorporated into the Park development makes its presence felt in that part of Liardet St.

Lease agreement for 147 Liardet St

The City of Port Phillip has entered into a lease agreement for the ground floor of 147 Liardet St - where the library used to be in the latter days of the City of Port Melbourne.

The lease holder is Brewsters & Co who has, or will soon begin to, fit out the property to turn it into a gourment supermarket.

It will be good to get the site back into active use.

The history of this lease goes back to 2008. There was an appeal to VCAT which held up the process.

Making it safer to walk or ride to Port Primary

Over the September school holidays, raised pavements will be constructed across Poolman St at Clark St to assist children to cross more safely from Garden City Reserve to Port Melbourne Primary.
It is hoped that a secondary benefit will be to reduce the rat run from Williamstown Rd to Rouse St and beyond.

Princes Pier

photos Ron Cassano

Concrete being poured on Princes Pier.

A fresh coat of paint

All heritage letterboxes in the City of Port Phillip have been revitalised under the terms of a new agreement between Australia Post and CoPP to share responsibility for maintaining the closed boxes.
All letter boxes have been refurbished, cleaned and repainted: missing crowns have been replaced on top, graffiti, old labels and dirt cleaned off, the pillars given a fresh coat of red paint and decorative details highlighted in gold. They will be maintained in this condition under the terms of the agreement.
How many of the 9 boxes in Port Phillip would you say are in Port Melbourne?

South Melbourne Market's recycling record

I thought you might be interested to know that the South Melbourne Market, owned and operated by the City of Port Phillip, recycles

• green waste: 307 cubic metres
• polystyrene: 1,300 bails
• fish offal: 265 tonnes
• meat offal: 501 tonnescardboard: 400 tonnes
• waxed cardboard: 88 cubic metres
• waste cooking oil: 26 tonnes which is removed free of cost to create biodiesel

In addition, every Sunday volunteers from Port Melbourne Rotary gather donations of food from stallholders that would otherwise be thrown away for SecondBite - 16 tonnes last year.

Looking forward looking back

This week, after many years of being vacant, a retail tenancy opened on the corner of Bay and Rouse St.
You might like to have a look here at what this corner used to look like when it was the home of St Joseph's school.

Lights and upgrade at Sandridge

What do you think of the lights at Sandridge? And the rest of the works?
How well do you think they respond to the themes that came out of the consultation?
These are some of the things people have said to me:
'I would prefer that they were even'
'they call attention to themselves - I would prefer that they were more discreet'
'I think they create a sense of definition - they make the path'
Do add your comments.

Finishing touches at Garden City Reserve

Damaged pathways are being re-instated and grassy areas restored to bring this important upgrade of Garden City Reserve to completion.

87 to 101 Bay St

Recently the development approved for 87 to 101 Bay St, opposite Bianca/Thomas Dux, has been featured in the papers.

You can read the article here which also shows what it will look like. The heritage building shown in this photograph will be retained. The heritage shops on either side are not part of this development.

I believe that Aldi will no longer be part of the development. Instead, there will be individual retail tenancies.
To read previous posts on this development, go to 3/8/09 and 6/12/09 at http://portfocus.blogspot.com

Beds of roses

Not sure whether you are rose fans. I'm not mad for roses but I want to know that those roses we do have are well looked after.

New roses in Edwards Park have been planted, and the others pruned and the beds dressed. They were getting well watered in by gentle rain when I passed.

I like the way Edwards Park and Lagoon Reserve complement one another in their appearance and their use.