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ISSUE 72 FEBRUARY –MARCH 2022 ¡ Top trail ¡ Natural oasis ¡ Heritage focusHow to contact us bayside.vic.gov.au (03) 9599 4444 76 Royal Ave, Sandringham enquiries@bayside.vic.gov.au facebook.com/BaysideCityCouncil twitter.com/BaysideCouncil We are committed to being easy to deal with, empathetic, effective and trusted. Making a complaint Complaints should be put in writing and can be lodged via Council’s website. You can expect to receive a response within 10 days. Customer service commitment Cr Clarke Martin Beckett Ward cmartin@bayside.vic.gov.au 0466 356 805 Cr Jo Samuel-King MBBS Castlefield Ward jsamuel-king@bayside.vic.gov.au 0419 772 291 Deputy Mayor Cr Hanna El Mouallem Dendy Ward helmouallem@bayside.vic.gov.au 0437 859 978 Cr Sonia Castelli Ivison Ward scastelli@bayside.vic.gov.au 0466 356 794 Cr Fiona Stitfold Boyd Ward fstitfold@bayside.vic.gov.au 0409 608 419 Bayside ward map Your Councillors Councillors have a role in ensuring responsible and accountable governance. As elected community representatives, our councillors are involved in determining priorities and policies and establishing the strategic direction of the city. Beckett Ward Ebden Ward Ivison Ward Boyd Ward Castlefield Ward Bleazby Ward Dendy Ward Inside this issue Natural oasis Local heritage Waste champs wanted Protecting biodiversity Back on the beatCommunity programs ISSUE 72 FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022 Cover Jane Sinclair, Sue Plummer and Jane Kilner love the new stretch of Bay Trail. 11 6 8 1215 4 Mayor Cr Alex del Porto Bleazby Ward adelporto@bayside.vic.gov.au 0417 390 641 Cr Laurence Evans OAM Ebden Ward levans@bayside.vic.gov.au 0407 735 993 Let’s Talk Bayside 3 Diving into pool plan HAVE YOUR SAY We want to hear from you on a proposed public warm water pool and privately-funded wellness centre at Brighton Golf Course. There are many proven benefits of regular warm water exercise, particularly for older people, those with a disability, and sportspeople rehabilitating after injury. Benefits include aiding reablement and improving active participation and quality of life. The pool would cater for all ages, thanks to a moveable floor in the main pool to facilitate children’s swimming lessons, while a second, fixed-depth clinical pool enables aquatic programming and therapeutic activities to run at the same time. To ensure access and inclusion for all, changerooms for those with complex or high needs, would be included. The proposed location in the north- east corner of the Brighton Golf Course next to the car park would allow easy access and protection of the local and residential environment. The public golf course would remain a par-67 with the careful realignment of two holes. Brighton Golf Course lessee, Leisure Management Services is proposing to independently fund, develop and operate a wellness centre adjacent to the warm water pool. It would include hot springs and plunge pools, as well as a sauna, spa, snow room and reflexology walk through the natural environment. HAVE YOUR SAY ¡ Your say at bayside.vic.gov.au/ warmwaterpool ¡ Join a webinar or drop-in session ¡ Request a print survey on 9599 4318 or via yoursay@bayside.vic.gov.au ¡ Pick up a survey from Council’s front counter at 76 Royal Ave, Sandringham and Bayside libraries*. Consultation on the warm water pool and wellness centre proposal is open from 21 February – 3 April 2022. *As permitted under current COVID-19 restrictions. There are many health and wellbeing benefits of regular warm water exercise for all ages, particularly for older people and those with a disability. BENEFITING HEALTH Regular exercise in warm water is a health and wellbeing boost for people of all ages. Join the conversation on projects, including Bayside Parking Strategy Bicycle parking in shopping precincts Property Strategy and Asset Plan Find out more bayside.vic.gov.au/HaveYourSay or call 9599 44444 Let’s Talk Bayside4 Let’s Talk Bayside Boost for new natural oasis ENVIRONMENT The Australian Government will contribute $5million to the Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve project in addition to a previous $1 million grant. The funding complements Council’s $9 million investment. Bayside Mayor, Cr Alex del Porto welcomed the funding announcement and said it will “help realise our vision for the reserve as an oasis for both people and nature”. “Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to create an extraordinary natural space in our urban environment. It will have significant recreational benefits for the community as well as substantially enhancing biodiversity, water management and water quality flowing into Port Phillip Bay,” Cr del Porto said. The 14 hectare site will have new and expanded wetlands, a chain of ponds, wildflower meadows and woodlands. The reserve will also feature Indigenous gathering places, 2kms of formal walking trails, over 1.5km of informal discovery paths. A gateway feature building will host educational and environmental programs and events. The funding announcement follows Council’s strong advocacy for support from the Australian Government. Bayside will continue to engage with the Victorian Government on opportunities to partner on this exciting project. Visit o bayside.vic.gov.au/ elsternwick-park-nature-reserve The joy of conversation COMMUNITY The wonderful Chatty Café movement is expanding locally, bringing Baysiders together and helping combat isolation. The Bayside program is being used as a pilot to potentially enable the roll out of Chatty Cafes across Victoria. Community centres, Neighbourhood Houses and hospitality venues allocate a 'chat' table for the use of volunteer facilitators and community members. Council is working with Chatty Cafe to enhance the program and get more local businesses involved. We are proud to have supported them with a $7,500 Community Grant as it launched last year and the Victorian Govt Regional Partnerships has provided $80,000 to help create local chat spaces. The charity has a series of upcoming events and Zoom chats every Monday and Friday from 1.30pm to 2.30pm. Managing Director of The Chatty Cafe Scheme Australia, Glenys Reid said even with social distancing or staying home, “there are ways to keep our connections”. To find out more, visit o chattycafeaustralia.org.au Contact your library for tech support for the online sessions or call 9261 7181. RESERVE PARTNERS Bayside Mayor Cr Alex del Porto with the Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley MP and Member for Goldstein, Tim Wilson MP at Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve.Let’s Talk Bayside 5 Aiding healthy lives INFRASTRUCTURE Bayside’s wonderful 17km stretch of Bay Trail is even better One of the busiest points on the hugely popular trail has been duplicated so the trail is now smoother for bike riders with improved safety for pedestrians. There is now a continuous connection from the existing bicycle path at Sandown Street to Middle Brighton Baths and pedestrians and cyclists are separate at this previously congested boardwalk section. As well as construction of a new dedicated bicycle path, the timber seawall has been restored to protect the trail from tide and wave erosion. Mayor Cr Alex del Porto said Council is committed to enabling sustainable transport choices and improving our riding and walking infrastructure for residents and visitors to enjoy." “Council is committed to enabling sustainable transport choices and improving our riding and walking infrastructure for residents and visitors to enjoy.” On-road transport is the second largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in Bayside, making up around 20%. Of this the vast majority is produced by cars. Bicycle Network CEO Craig Richards said the Bay Trail has been a great success story for Melbourne, boosting the physical and mental health of so many users. "Bayside, through its improvements over the years, should be proud of its contribution to this success story,” Craig said. "These latest upgrades will ensure that bike riders and other path users get along, while protecting the fragile and beautiful coastal environment." Riders are encouraged to ride to the path condition, slow down when approaching pedestrians, use a bell when passing, and give way to others walking. Pedestrians are encouraged to stay aware of their surroundings, especially when wearing headphones, and keep left on shared paths. To discover more search 'bay trail' at o bayside.vic.gov.au There is now a continuous connection from the existing bicycle path at Sandown Street to Middle Brighton Baths. BUILD YOUR BIKE SKILLS Council has teamed up with local Bayside business, Ladies Back On Your Bike, to encourage more women to ride with confidence. Refresh your skills in February with ‘Cycling with Confidence’ sessions or join a 3-hour ‘Path 2 Road’ session (in February and March). Bookings are essential. Find out more and secure your place with a $20 refundable deposit at o bayside.vic.gov. au/LadiesCycling TAP ON THE TRAIL Council and South East Water have installed two new water bottle refill stations along the Bay Trail at Dawson Street, Brighton and Black Rock Clocktower. These stations encourage the use of reusable bottles, helping to phase out single-use plastic. RIDE WELL Join Sue and other women riders to become a safer, more confident cyclist. BEACHY TREK On two legs, or two wheels, the refurbished Bay Trail is a wonderful Bayside asset.6 Let’s Talk Bayside ENVIRONMENT Protecting biodiversity, including indigenous and marine flora and fauna and minimising our impact on the environment, is a vital part of what we do. This means taking care of Bayside’s remnant heath and bushlands, our tree-lined streetscapes, native vegetation and coastal and marine interface environments. Biodiversity is critical in creating a more resilient landscape, especially in our climate-changing world. It also contributes immensely to community health and wellbeing. Here are some of our biodiversity- boosting projects. Crucial canopy Trees are an important part of our urban forest which is why we are committing to plant more than 3,000 trees as part of the next Annual Tree Planting Program. Trees are critical to a healthy environment, drawing carbon from the atmosphere and removing air pollutants. They are crucial habitat for wildlife, help to purify water, decrease salinity in soils and limit the effects of erosion. Trees improve the look of our streets and provide shade, helping reduce the urban heat island effect - caused by loss of vegetation and heat-absorbing surfaces like asphalt which results in higher temperatures than in less- developed areas. We aim to plant trees in every suitable vacant planting site, with the species guided by the street conditions. We plant from May to September each year. If you don't have a tree on your nature strip, you can request one for the next planting season. The site will be inspected for suitability. Visit o bayside.vic.gov.au and search tree planting program for more info. An urban sanctuary The exciting transformation of the former Elsternwick Park golf course into a natural oasis is well underway. This biodiverse nature reserve will be a magnificent place of exploration, education and enjoyment and give refuge to wildlife. A ten-year masterplan of works will realise the vision with key elements including a chain of ponds and expanded wetlands which will improve the quality of water flowing into Port Phillip Bay and provide a diverse habitat - along with new trees and vegetation – encouraging native wildlife back to the area. Approximately 30,000 new plants and trees have been planted with more to be added as the reserve matures. For over 20 years, we have been successfully using controlled ecological burning, weeding and planting to maintain healthy heathlands. URBAN OASIS Netting protects the young plants at the new Chain of Ponds in Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve. Preserving the variety of lifeLet’s Talk Bayside 7 The new chain of ponds will open in March 2022. In the meantime important plants are establishing and local fauna is returning. See page 4 for details of a funding boost to create expanded wetlands at the reserve. Forged in flames For millions of years fire has played a large role in maintaining the richness, composition and diversity of many of our plants, animals and ecosystems. The inland bushland reserves of Bayside contain classes of vegetation that have evolved with fire and are now dependent on it to germinate, flower or set seed. Smoke from fires triggers the germination of dormant seeds in the soil. Fire is also effective in controlling invasive weeds, especially Coastal Tea-tree. For over 20 years, we have been successfully using controlled ecological burning in our bushland reserves, as recommended by various biological and ecological experts, in conjunction with hand weeding and planting, to maintain the health of our heathlands. An ecological burn will be undertaken at Long Hollow Heathland in Beaumaris April 2022 this year to assist with the regeneration of indigenous species. Fishy pests Carp became established as a major pest in the wild in the 1960s. They have a devastating impact on biodiversity and have decimated native fish populations in many areas. We carry our regular culls to limit their destructiveness. Late last year we captured 147 Carp from Landcox Park, Brighton and a number of Carp were also removed from Tulip Street Pond in Cheltenham. Our contractor reported spotting a Catfish, several Long Neck Turtles, hundreds of Gambusia, more than 60 Redfin and a Yabby. He said all fish in the pond looked very healthy and “it was also great to hear the frogs”. Bayside Community Nursery The idea of preserving our native vegetation is not a new one. Forty-four years ago Bayside Community Nursery opened with the aim of protecting the regions’ biodiversity by growing plants from local seed stock. Supported by volunteers, the nursery grows and supplies about 100,000 indigenous plants, grasses and trees annually for planting in our parks, inland and coastal bushland reserves. The nursery sells stock to the local golf courses and is open to the public. Indigenous plants can attract a large range of wildlife, including frogs, birds, butterflies and lizards. The nursery will hold a Gala Day Plant Sale when it reopens in April. Find out more at o bayside.vic.gov.au/nursery DID YOU KNOW? We value the knowledge and input of First Nations people and incorporate this knowledge in contemporary practices to manage and protect our natural environment. HEALTHY WATERWAYS Regular culls limit the destructiveness of carp which is a major pest. FIREY FRIEND Ecological burning helps maintain the health of our heathlands. PLANT LOVERS All ages groups enjoying an open day at Bayside Community Nursery. URBAN FOREST More than 3,400 new plants will create habitat for wildlife at Elsternwick Park South.8 Let’s Talk Bayside Protecting what we love and value How can we better protect local heritage as our suburbs grow? In response to your many questions submitted as part of our ‘Let’s Talk Planning’ campaign, let’s take a closer look. Heritage - a snapshot Under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, Council is legally required to ‘conserve or enhance buildings, areas or other places which are of scientific, aesthetic, architectural or historical interest, or otherwise of special cultural value. The State Government, Heritage Victoria and the Heritage Council of Victoria are responsible for State heritage and historical archaeology.’ Local heritage is protected by Councils applying a Heritage Overlay over heritage places through the Planning Scheme. This applies extra rules about what type of development or activity can and can’t be done (for example, preventing key heritage features of a building from being removed). To determine if a property is worthy of protection, first a heritage study is undertaken (usually by an independent consultant) to assess the place against eight criteria that have been broadly adopted across Australia. Then the Heritage Overlay is applied through the Planning Scheme Amendment process. This process includes consultation with property owners and the community and requires final approval by the Minister for Planning. Once in the Planning Scheme, the requirements are enforced through the Planning Permit process. Find out more about these processes at o bayside.vic.gov.au/ LetsTalkPlanning A hot topic Heritage significance can change over time. For example, if new information is found about the place, or as it ages or becomes ‘rare’, this can influence its potential significance. Over the last two years, heritage has been a hot topic in Bayside for three key reasons: 1. Pace and intensity of development As our population grows, some older houses are being demolished and replaced to create more homes – potentially increasing the ‘scarcity’ and therefore heritage significance of some types of buildings. The pace of development has also increased. Council cannot enforce heritage protection until it is approved and included in the Planning Scheme. This process takes time and there have been cases where properties have been demolished or stripped of their heritage features while awaiting final approval. 2. Introducing new heritage protections The process to introduce new heritage protection must be robust to demonstrate heritage significance More than 1,500 Bayside properties are included in a Heritage Overlay. BAYSIDE BEAUTY One of Bayside's wonderful heritage properties Let’s Talk PlanningLet’s Talk Bayside 9 and ensure the impacts on all parties are considered. Introducing new heritage protection. is challenging for all parties, including Council, and takes time. In the end, the Victorian Minister for Planning has the final say and must be satisfied with the process. 3. Heritage and neighbourhood character The planning system cannot legally prevent a property being demolished if not included in a Heritage Overlay. Sometimes the community seeks to use heritage protection to stop or control change and development in their area. However, heritage protection requires proven heritage significance (as per the eight criteria), regardless of the age, look or condition of a building. This can leave the community frustrated and disappointed. The future look and feel of our streets can be influenced through the Planning Scheme, but is a separate provision called Neighbourhood Character (this will be explored further in a future Let’s Talk Planning series). What we are doing More than 1,500 Bayside properties are included in a Heritage Overlay. Many of these were identified in studies completed more than 30 years ago, and the Heritage Review completed in 1999. Our revised Heritage Action Plan (2020) includes a full review of buildings of all eras across Bayside over the next fifteen years, commencing with the current draft Post-War Modern Residential Heritage Study. Council also promotes the appreciation and celebration of local heritage through a range of activities including: the Bayside Built Environment Awards, providing access to Council- owned heritage buildings, promoting heritage walks and trails and supporting activities of local heritage groups. Find out more at o bayside.vic. gov.au/LetsTalkPlanning Visit bayside.vic.gov.au/LetsTalkPlanning to • Ask questions about heritage, trees and vegetation, or growth and development • View answers to many questions already received • Sign-up for the Let’s Talk Planning E-newsletter DRAFT POST-WAR MODERN RESIDENTIAL HERITAGE STUDY The Study identifies and documents places within Bayside which should be considered for heritage protection. From February to 30 April 2022, we are consulting with the owners of mid-century properties identified in the draft study to ensure all information about their property is accurate and complete. Council is expected to consider the final version of the study at the June 2022 meeting. Following this, a planning scheme amendment process may commence to protect properties found to be of mid-century modern heritage significance via a Heritage Overlay. Find out more at o yoursay.bayside.vic.gov.au Sam – resident for 5 years, property now subject to new heritage protection • Loss of personal autonomy over my own property • New restrictions will impede my future development or renovations • Concerns about potential impact on property value • Potential increased expense to upgrade or maintain the property. Toni – resident for 30 years and local heritage enthusiast • Preservation of heritage for current and future generations should be prioritised • If protections are not applied quickly, important heritage will be lost forever • Heritage protection positively impacts the desirability of our neighbourhoods. CONSIDERING HERITAGE An independent heritage study assesses properties to be considered for a Heritage Overlay. Not all buildings with heritage features will be included in an overlay. Two common perspectivesNext >