Support for Cr Debbie Field

Hi Folks,

You may have noticed an article in the Journal this week criticizing Debbie Field for not attending Council meetings. Debbie is quite ill and having weekly treatment, which does not sound good. Even though she’s remained in contact with me and has willingly returned phone messages or emails. This article smells to me like a dirty election campaign. One candidate, Tony Holland – a REAL ESTATE AGENT, said at a meeting I had with him recently that Debbie was useless and never attended meetings.

Below is my response to the Journal. Whatever you do DO NOT VOTE FOR TONY HOLLAND! I’ve had it on good advice that the aim is to get him elected to improve the chances of electing Adam Gill to the position of Mayor. Guess what, they're both real estate agents. What hope will we have with Adam Gill as Mayor.

Cheers,

Ian

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Dear Editor,

Re: “Often absent councillor insists she’s still in touch” by Winston Tan

I can assure all Friberg Residents that Cr Debbie Field is definitely in touch with issues in Friberg Ward, especially in Knoxfield.

I am incensed by the insinuation in the Knox Journal of August 20, that Cr Debbie Field is absenting herself from Knox Council and relinquishing her duties as a councillor. Cr Field may have been on leave from council since July, but that has not prevented her from providing wonderful support to the Knoxfield residents in the fight against medium/high density housing in our suburb. Cr Field’s advice and direction has only been a telephone call away and at times she has called to see how the campaign is going.

This insinuation that Cr Field is not fulfilling her duty to residents of Friberg, seems very much like a dirty election ploy. A candidate opposing Cr Field made similar accusations to me at a private meeting recently.

The reasons Cr Field has taken leave from council is her private business and should not become an issue in an election campaign.

Decent people respect the privacy of others.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Simpson

New Planning Application for No 32 Kathryn Road

Say NO to FOUR double storey townhouses at

No 32

Kathryn Road.

If these are approved will your neighbor’s property be the next targeted by developers?

These townhouses will:

Be out of character with the surrounds,

Generate more heat and use more power,

Not be sustainable in a time of climate change,

Be a danger to passing school children,

Create more parking on Kathryn Road,

Create stress on 1960s infrastructure,

Not be family friendly, no play space for children,

Not have facilities for disabled persons,

Have a direct affect on wildlife of the area.

The struggle to maintain the “leafy character” of Knoxfield is so important. Over the past month VCAT has turned down two applications in Knoxfield to maintain the leafy image. We know that Knox Council will support their policy to keep Knoxfield “leafy green”.

This developer is treating planning laws with contempt, as they provided plans for this new development without any measurements. Is this to make our task of objecting more difficult or is it to hide the fact that FOUR double storey townhouses will not fit onto this block. This planning application is a massive over-development of the site.

Knox Council planning department officers have informed us that there is nothing they can do to get more detailed plans. The developer was contacted and they absolutely refused to provide more detailed plans. Where do we go from here? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Marvellous Melbourne

 Save Knoxfield has posted another article on the Marvellous Melbourne Web Page. It can be viewed at

http://marvellousmelbourne.org/drupal/?q=node/320

 

Objections to the Development at No 40 Kathryn Road Flood In

To date 65 objections have been handed into the Knox City Council Planning Office objecting to the development of FIVE double storey and SIX single storey dwellings at No 40 Kathryn Road. Among the objections lodged residents of Knoxfield have highlighted the overdevelopment, lack of playing space for children, that the safety of children is paramount, the lack of sustainability in the plans, the severe traffic problems that already exist in Kathryn Road, and the effect on wildlife with the removal of most vegetation on the site.

One resident of 35 years stated that their family had moved to Knoxfield for the “country feel”, but Knox Council is now allowing our small suburb to be carved up without any consideration of long term residents. Council needs to be aware of the destruction these developments will and have already caused and take a stand against these money hungry developers. I am disgusted that the “lore of money” now overrides commonsense. This overdevelopment is not necessary and will spoil what used to be a friendly and caring community.

Another resident wrote … can anybody remember the old Knoxfield of country living and dirt roads and the atmosphere of trees and wildlife. We don’t want concrete jungles as it will be wall to wall units and townhouses…..

And yet another stated …The proposal also calls for the removal of vegetation which is at odds to the Knox Council’s policy of maintaining the leafy image…. And add these11 units to the proposed 10 for No 44 Kathryn Road, plus the 4 proposed for No 32 and the 7 for the corner of Kathryn and Anne Roads and no wonder we are worried.

And there are more…..

……..Our leafy image is disappearing, so are our beautiful birds. Thanks to those GREEDY developers who have made their money and don’t have to live with the monstrosities they are trying to build in our beautiful area – we love this place that’s why we moved here……

Such a development in Kathryn Road is scarey. Traffic in this street is already disrupted by roadside parking(residents and their visitors). Extra traffic will put pedestrians(especially children) at risk with school crossing, bus stop and busy Laura Road intersection(especially at school time)all close to No 40. Emergency vehicle access will be hard. Rubbish collection days will be horrendous – stress on an already overloaded infrastructure. We chose Knoxfield for its country lifestyle, sadly the trees and thus the birdlife are not what they were . WE MUST KEEP WHAT’S LEFT. This type of development is not suited to Knoxfield – we don’t want grownups doll houses. Keep it as it is. We have already lost too much. Developers are not interested in the future of Knoxfield or the NOW residents.

Whilst Kathryn Road is legally wide enough for the traffic it carries, parking on the street or exiting driveways has to be done with care. It is too narrow for its role…..If more than one vehicle is parked out the front you must cross onto the other side of the road to pass taking extreme risk…….

……In recent years, especially morning and evening traffic levels have risen to the level where I believe that at times is congested. I have on several occasions been involved in verbal altercations with other motorists who fail to give way or who it seems are frustrated with the volume of traffic using Kathryn Road as a thoroughfare. Exit to Ferntree Gully Road between 7.15am and 8.30am could see you placed in a line of 7 or 8 vehicles………It is only a matter of time before we have a serious accident.

We don’t need to publish any more as we know these stories well, but how do we make the Knox Council understand?

Image of Area Under Attack- Knox Journal 22-07-08

Property problems: Knoxfield resident Ian Simpson (front) and neighbours (from left) Geoff and June Proctor, Therese Woodyard and Joyce Ward are angered by overdevelopment in their neighbourhood. Picture: Melissa Banks

RESIDENTS worried about overdevelopment in Kathryn Road have accused developers of wanting to make money at the cost of their lifestyle.

They took their case to Knox Council's planning consultative meeting last week, with 61 Kathryn Road and 44 Kathryn Road among their concerns.

Knoxfield resident Ian Simpson said developers "just wanted to make their quick buck and get out''.

"I don't think they have any idea. If they were people who actually lived in the houses ... they would understand what happens,'' he said.

"People like living here because of the wildlife, the birdlife, the leafy green tree area.''

Mr Simpson said 100-year-old canopy trees and 80-year-old eucalypts were under threat should the development at 61 Kathryn Road go ahead.

"To replace those with five double-storey townhouses and one single-storey unit, is just crazy.

"The traffic problems caused by this development would be terrible.''

Mr Simpson also criticised the development at 44 Kathryn Road.

He said the proposed double-storey townhouses would not fit in with the "image'' of Knoxfield.

Mr Simpson said residents would continue to fight hard.

"As soon as one gets approved there will be no holding back from the other ones. It will just escalate.

"We could be surrounded by double-storey townhouses on our own individual blocks.''

Knox councillor Debbie Field said the residents had put forward a strong case.

"A lot of people may jump up and down and make a lot of noise, but the residents to their credit were very polite about putting forward the facts,'' she said

"They had really done their homework.''

Knox Council was unable to provide details of the developer by deadline.

The future of the developments will be decided at a council meeting in September.

 

 

A Win!

This email has just arrived with some very good news from Phillip Road.

 

 I thought you might be interested to know that VCAT agreed with Councils decision to deny the application a for double storey unit at the rear of No. 14 Philip Road quoting it did not fit in with the amenity of the “leafy” neighbourhood and had parking concerns.

 

 There is hope when the Knox Council supports the “leafy image” of Knoxfield. I believe VCAT has stated they will uphold decisions by our council which are firmly based on the Rescodes and Council Policy. All our hard work may be paying dividends

 

 

 

Safety on Kathryn rd

 

 

 

Safety on Kathryn Road

 

 

Will this be the future for Kathryn Road while all these developments progress? Knox Council should ensure Traffic Management is in place when one lane is blocked. Council were alerted to this problem but no action was taken.

 

Craig wrote this last Friday 19th July 2008.

 

 

 

 7:06am this morning

 

I was on my home turning into kathryn road this morning and headlights from a stationary truck were brightly shining directly at my eye level, mid way up the hill, opposite the tennis courts and facing me in the same lane as throughway traffic. I was not sure if it was a late garbage truck or not, it was early morning and dark. I could not see around it properley to determine the safety of going around it (No signal/flagmen were present at all nor was any signage of warning). As residents, we know how narrow Kathryn road is.Let alone on that crest, in the dark with lights shining in your face as you approach that hill. You could imagine my nervousness as i indicated and proceeded around this vehicle cautiously into the oncoming traffic lane to find it was a cement mixing truck with another 6 vehicles behind it. The other vehicles over the crest had "witches hats" in a line next to them, yet not visible from the bottom of the crest of the hill( still no signal/flagmen nor pre warning signage) . All constuction related vehicles!

 

If i had to avoid an oncoming vehicle i would have had to make many decisions within a split second: should i run up the gutter and possibly kill somebody, smash into the vehicles kerbside parked, endangered a prpoerty and the occupants or even a collision with an on coming vehicle.

 

Perhaps i could have reversed and hopfully avoided contact with another vehicle/person, or just sat there and waited for the vehicle with it's lights shining in my face, facing the wrong way on a thoroughfare to depart. Maybe i could have parked my car on Kathryn road also and walked the rest of my journey, or sat at the bus stop and caught a bus to get home safely.

 

Perhaps it is me at fault for entering what is becoming a twilight zone within Knoxfield.

 

Even in daylight hours this is a rediculous scenario and i do not wish to experience it ever again.

 

Now what do we do when the whole of Kathryn road becomes a carpark?

 

I just want to get home safely from work and also know that my family and neighbours are safe whilst living in this area.

 

Craig Money