Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A suitable site for a Terminal station?


One of the other proposed sites for expanding and upgrading the network is in Brooklyn. We visited that site to compare how suitable it was for an upgrade compared to Brunswick.

Just because Brunswick is the cheapest (which it may not be) and was the victim of poor planning decisions back in the 1950s doesn't make it the best choice now.

Surely it makes sense to locate an industrial facility in an industrial area where it is not next to housing?

Download this information sheet here.

What happens in our tiny residential streets if this happens?

This is a video of a 220/66 transformer failure.

The power companies have not submitted any details of how they intend to
cope if this happens at Brunswick. The chances of it happening are quite low, yet it could.

There have been explosions there in the past!

View video here

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Letter to the Mayor from the Merri Creek Residents Group


Dear Mayor

Thank you for making time to meet with representatives of the Merri Creek Residents Group this afternoon to discuss our outstanding concerns with the rezoning of the BTS site.
As per our discussions, we are continuing to pursue various avenues of challenging the decision that has been made, and the main ways in which Moreland Council can support us include:
- Through supporting our call for an Independent Review of the decision to rezone the land and allow the new 66kV facility to be built at the BTS site. Such an Independent Review would allow full consideration of all the facts in this matter, and not just the views and wishes of the power companies to be taken into account and rubber-stamped by Ministerial intervention. This support would include writing to the Premier, the Minister for Planning, the Minister for Energy & Resources and other relevant bodies requesting this action be taken
- Supporting the sourcing of legal advice from a senior Town Planner barrister/solicitor to determine any possible legal challenges to the Ministers decision. We are asking for a sum of $3000 from Moreland Council, and will also be approaching the City of Yarra and City of Darebin to help fund this action. This will not commit the City of Moreland to undertaking any further legal action, rather put us all in the position of understanding the potential of a legal challenge against the decision to rezone. Of course we would share this legal advice with Council and others supporting our actions.
- Support us in any appeal to VCAT around the Minister’s decision, based on the significant loss of amenity and wellbeing that a development of this nature in a residential area will cause (including the health and wellbeing of those residents in the neighbouring municipality of Darebin who live directly under the HV transmission lines).
- That Council make available the full set of Officers Reports and file notes relating to this application development that was twice rejected by Council’s Urban Planning Committee. In particular it would be helpful to get information about the full extent of correspondence between the proponents of the development and Council in the leadup to the June 2010 and November 2011 meetings, to help understand the level of consultation (or lack of) that occurred in the proponents seeking a planning permit.

We appreciate that Council has made various statements to condemn the Government’s lack of consultation with the community and with Council over the rezoning of this land. We trust that you will be able to continue supporting our fight to overturn or at least review this decision, and return some level of confidence to residents in the City of Moreland that the democratic Planning Laws in this State are there to ensure that all parties are heard and given the right to have their say, particularly in such large scale and potentially dangerous development decisions.

Kind regards
Chris Black and Ramon Colodetti
On behalf of the Merri Creek Residents Group

Thursday, February 23, 2012

NEW ‘MINISTER FOR REZONING’ IN BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT

MEDIA RELEASE
20 February 2012
NEW ‘MINISTER FOR REZONING’ IN BAILLIEU GOVERNMENT

Following his outrageous and clearly suspect decision to rezone land at Philip Island to allow a Liberal ‘mate’ to make vast profits out a new housing development, Minister Matthew Guy is at it again in inner-city East Brunswick.
Last week with no warning he rezoned a large parcel of land along the Merri Creek from ‘Residential 1’ to ‘Special Use’ to allow power companies to proceed with a fourfold expansion of the existing Brunswick Terminal Station. This is despite the fact that local government, Moreland Council, has twice rejected this proposal on the grounds that it is an unsuitable development for such a highly residential and environmentally sensitive area.
It appears that we now have a new portfolio in the Baillieu Government – Minister for Rezoning.
When they don’t like a decision made at the local government level, they simply send in the Minister for Rezoning to make a decision that overrides the state’s democratic planning processes – and cut out any opposing voices. Those concerned at the Minister’s plans for greater development of the Melbourne skyline should be alarmed.
Minister Guy’s decision, based purely on the economic arguments put forward by power companies for development at this site in preference to moving the terminal station to a more appropriate industrial location, mean that social, community health and environmental considerations are being completely dismissed. It also means that a VCAT hearing due for March is now null and void.
“Both the Planning Minister and the power companies have deceived Council and residents by effectively removing this decision from VCAT’s hands, after having told us that they would follow by the ‘proper planning processes’ for this site”, said Merri Creek Residents Group spokesperson, Ramon Colodetti.
“People living in the vicinity of the Brunswick Terminal Station, and those who live under the high voltage power lines leading into the site, have serious concerns about the safety of the proposed new facility” said Mr Colodetti. “But now that the Planning Minister has intervened and effectively rezoned the site from Residential to an Industrial site, none of our concerns will be heard.”
For further information about the residents campaign to move the power station, contact Ray Colodetti on 0416 235 391 or go to http://powergridsolutions.blogspot.com/

PLANNING MINISTER OVERRIDES PLANNING PROCESS – AGAIN BRUNSWICK TERMINAL STATION REZONED OVERNIGHT

MEDIA RELEASE
16 February 2012
PLANNING MINISTER OVERRIDES PLANNING PROCESS – AGAIN
BRUNSWICK TERMINAL STATION REZONED OVERNIGHT

Planning Minister Matthew Guy has once again ignored the concerns of residents and sided with business interests to approve the controversial expansion of the Brunswick Terminal Station in East Brunswick. Overnight he has rezoned a residential site in inner-city Melbourne to a ‘Special Purpose’ site to effectively override State Planning laws.
CitiPower and SPAusnet had their application for the expansion rejected by Moreland Council in November last year, and had signalled their intention to appeal through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). Minister Guy also assured residents that they would be able to use the “proper planning processes” to have their voices heard and concerns about the four-fold expansion of the plant aired.
“Both the Planning Minister and the power companies have deceived residents by effectively removing this decision from VCAT’s hands, after having told residents that they would follow by the planning rules”, said Merri Creek Residents Group spokesperson, Ramon Colodetti.
“People living in the vicinity of the Brunswick Terminal Station, and those who live under the high voltage power lines leading into the site, have serious concerns about the safety of the proposed new facility” said Mr Colodetti. “But now that the Planning Minister has intervened and effectively rezoned the site from Residential to an Industrial site, none of our concerns will be heard.”
“CitiPower claims to have the interests of its customers at heart, but this sneaky move to override the democratic planning process shows that all they are interested in is the commercial gains from building the cheapest possible facility – even if it does happen to be smack bang in the middle of a residential area and next to the environmentally significant Merri Creek” said Mr. Colodetti.
For further information about the residents campaign to move the power station, contact Ray Colodetti on 0416 235 391 or go to http://powergridsolutions.blogspot.com/