All posts by Gary Buck

Metro Rail, St Kilda Rd living

More Metro Rail news

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I met with the Metro Rail guys and our lawyers on Friday to discuss our EES submission.  In those conversations, the Metro Rail guys gave us a few updates.

  1. The option of using Fawkner Park as a Tunnel Boring Site (meaning that we will only have one tunnel boring machine site at 400 St K Rd) has been dropped.  There is a little more info here
  2. A contract has been let for the sewer relocation work.  That is largely Domain Rd.
  3. Buildings like ours will get a pre-work integrity check at Metro Rail cost.
  4. The current plan is to erect an acoustic shed to house the Domain work site.  It will be roughly 3 stories high.
  5. Material coming out of the tunnel will be a slurry.  It will be piped to Edmund Herring Oval for dewatering and the soil will be trucked away from there.
  6. During the major work, traffic lanes and trams will be on the other side of St K Rd at around Bowen Cres with the work site on our side.  The traffic will then swing over to our side near Bowen Lane.  This is to allow the right station positioning and right tram angles.  This has not changed since early designs.
  7. They have done extensive work to ensure access to our basement carpark.  Will be a little complex and entry likely to be via left turn from Bowen Cres and not directly from St K Rd.  Will be 7*24 via traffic management person, like a private driveway extension.

Little is finalised but I am happy with the level of engagement and discussion.  All of these matters are likely to be discussed at our panel hearing.

Metro Rail, St Kilda Rd living

Draft EES submission

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16-07-02_DRAFT Botanica Melbourne Metro EES Submission

This is the draft submission for the consideration of the Committee.  After receiving feedback from a number of owners / residents, I believe that this document reasonably represent those overall concerns.

Please be aware that our legal advice is that this document should be kept at a fairly high level and that we make more detailed claims at the hearings in August / September.

You should also be aware that this is only the draft version and not the final version.

Our legal advice is also that we are better served by one strong overall submission than numerous small personal submissions.  In that light, I would prefer you give me feedback on this document rather than make your own submission.  But if you still feel the need to make your own submission, I understand and respect that decision.

Gary

City of Port Phillip, Metro Rail, St Kilda Rd living

City of Port Phillip and Metro Rail..more

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I attended the City of Port Phillip meeting last night.  They were discussing their EES submission on Metro Rail.  At the suggestion of the Deputy Mayor (Serge Thomann), I made a brief presentation (max of 3 minutes allowed).

A copy of my script is attached.2016 06 City of PP submission

There was only one other person making a submission – he was lobbying to have the Boer War Memorial moved permanently to the Shrine area.

I felt my submission was well received.

  • Cr Amanda Stevens asked that the emergency exit issue be included in the Council’s submission.  The Council rep did state that the Metro Rail people had assured him that Metro Rail had already been considered and agreed to this, but agreed to alter the submission.
  • Cr Thomann pushed that the tree philosophy of “remove late/ replace early” with mature trees was a very good idea.  He also supported the ‘don’t waste money on bike lanes’ – but didnt’t get much traction.
  • The Mayor (Bernadene Voss) was very supportive and made the comment – we are absolutely committed to keep the local community involved and informed.  When I was talking to her before the meeting she said that the real time monitoring that I was proposing, had recently been done on a project in Port Melbourne and worked very well.

There was an interesting aside when I said that the City of PP had a very poor record with our street tree.  The Mayor turned to the CEO and he made a note.  Perhaps they will plant a new mature tree, just in time for it to be removed!!

The Boer War guy failed in his attempt to permanently move their monument.