Barak Beacon Redevelopment Approved

The Premier and the Minister for Housing have approved Housing Victoria’s plans for 408 dwellings on the Barak Road site as explained here.

The BCNA welcomes the redevelopment which will have a mix of social, affordable and market housing but is disappointed that there has been no recognition of the need to improve access to public transport, green space, and local roads to cope with the expected increase of about eight hundred residents.

The BCNA is hoping that there will be close cooperation with Homes Victoria during the build phase to improve street access, retain green space, and prevent parking spillover to local streets. Click here for further details.

Record Membership

Thank you to members who have renewed their memberships, and to new members who have joined the BCNA in 2023/24.

Membership continues to grow and reached 478 on 30 June 2024, a new record for the BCNA.

The BCNA continues to be active on your behalf in protecting and enhancing the amenity of the area. Feedback received from local and state authorities is that our input is well regarded, being described as organised, sensible, practical, and engaged. Our last newsletter as well as posts to this website explain the issues we are involved with on your behalf.

Barak Beacon Update

The BCNA continues to engage with Nina Taylor MP, Member for Albert Park, about community concerns with the proposed development. Our concerns are about the massive increase in residences, but without any change in public transport, roads and parking (see our news item of 8 March 2024). The amenity of nearby residents will be diminished.

The BCNA received an email from Homes Victoria last Friday which indicates that Homes Victoria remains committed to develop 408 residences.

Savings on Non-recyclable Waste Charges

Your annual council rates include a charge for waste collection. However, you may not be aware that there are 3 sizes of waste bins available to households, with the size written on the side of the bin. The standard size allocated to houses as part of your rates is 120 litres. However, it may be that you have inherited a larger bin if you moved into the area. In that case, be aware of the following charges or rebates if you vary your bin size.

There is an annual garbage bin surcharge of $255 for properties that are provided with a 240-litre bin for non-recyclable waste. This extra charge will be added to your rates. If you want to go smaller, an 80-litre waste bin is also available and will result in an annual rebate of $82 for properties that take up this small waste bin. It’s simple to change your bins, just Make a Request on the Request a Service part of Council's website. They will deliver the desired bin size on an agreed day and collect the old one.

Derelict Land and Buildings

The City of Port Phillip (Council) has now approved the Budget for 2024/25.

As part of this year’s budget, Council approved differential rate increases for derelict land, unactivated retail land, and vacant land. This is in response to community concern about derelict and vacant sites. The differential rate increases are designed to influence behaviour and shorten the time properties are left unutilised. The BCNA strongly supports this policy.

The three categories and the rates to apply are:

• Derelict Land - “buildings that are left in a state of disrepair, unsightly, raise health and safety concerns, promote anti-social behaviour or which cause loss of neighbourhood amenity.”  The rate will be four times the residential rate per dollar.
• Unactivated Retail Land “including shops that are not open for trade for more than 24 months which hinders retail vibrancy & business activation and negatively impacts municipal streetscapes.” The rate will be four times the residential rate per dollar.
• Vacant Land “which is not developed in a timely manner that otherwise would result in a more vibrant and liveable city.” The rate will be three times the residential rate per dollar.

Residential rates will increase by 2.75 per cent which is consistent with the Victorian Government’s guideline.

Click here to read the Minutes of Council’s budget meeting.