Dear Kensington Association Members and Friends

Having been elected as Chairperson of the Association, I thought it might be a good idea to send out an occasional note when we have one of our more tricky or contentious issues on the boil.

This is such a time and we have two such issues on our agenda at the moment.  Both the really hard  and both reflect the difficulties associated with finding balance between competing priorities and demands.

The first involves a proposal to redevelop the soccer field at Holland Park with a new synthetic surface.

Given climate change and the rapid expansion of sports in Holland Park the need for a high-volume synthetic surface is apparent to all.  The State government currently has a funding round open and the City of Melbourne has indicated that it will also support the project.

Unfortunately, if the new synthetic playing surface is to be consistent with guidelines set down by the relevant sports governing bodies it needs to be about 20 m longer. Of itself, this would not appear to be a big issue however, as the field is constrained on the western side by the pool and on the north-eastern side by the child-care centre the only way it can extend it into the car park: destroying eight mature elm trees.

As many of you are aware, the car park in the centre of Holland Park is being removed to make way for recreational use and there will be extensive new tree plantings in that area. Unfortunately it will be some decades before trees of such beauty can be replaced.

Copies of the proposed Holland Park Master Plan can be accessed at the City of Melbourne website at http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=25&pa=1321&pg=1337#jjholland.

A particularly disturbing element of this problem is the potential to cause conflict between different parts of our community.

As a community, we have been very successful over many years in combating inappropriate development and preserving those things about our suburb which we hold most dear. (RIP the Holland Park tunnel!)   At the same time we have also been able to campaign successfully for improvements such as the community centre/pool and child-care centre redevelopment.

The cohesion of our community must be preserved at all costs and in considering this question should be at the forefront of all of our minds.

This issue will be discussed at the next Kensington Association meeting to be held at 7:30 PM on Monday, 7 September at the Holy Rosary Primary School.  Staff from the City of Melbourne will be providing a briefing on the proposed changes and seeking comment from members. If you can’t make the meeting, why not drop me a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ?

The second issue we are confronting involves a proposal by Becton to build 218 units across six storeys in the final stage of redevelopment of the Kensington Estate.

You may recall that the State Government has just approved an outrageous overdevelopment of the site on the corner of Ormond Street and Derby Street which is double the number of units and almost double the height of that agreed to under the site development plan.

On the last remaining undeveloped block of the estate, which should be about 56 units in two and three-storey buildings we now have a proposal for a mixture of buildings rising to 6 stories and almost quadrupling the approved development plan.

Such a proposal obviously represents a significant overdevelopment and will doubtless generate the same quagmire of vehicles and parking that currently throttles Altona St near Kensington Road.

This is also a really tricky question:  it is probably fair to assume that the site can reasonably support more than 56 units and the Association has long championed the causes of both public and social housing.   And who wouldn’t want to live in Kensington;  it’s a great place.  But how much development is too much?

We are currently seeking to work through political channels to get the State Government to consult directly with the community about what an “appropriate development of the site” might look like.

Concurrently , and arising from the last Kensington Association meeting we have set up a small action committee to prepare for a campaign of direct action against the development if a sensible negotiated position cannot be achieved.

If you would like to express your views on this question or get involved in the process, please come along to the meeting on September 7 or drop me a line.

Trust you are all well and happy and enjoying Kensington.

Regards

David Ettershank

Chairperson