The waiting begins! 

All readers will be aware that the Parkville Association together with other local objectors was in VCAT this month regarding the proposed dermatological clinic in Parkville.

It is totally inappropriate to comment on the proceedings or the likely outcome as it will take the members of VCAT many weeks to come to a conclusion.   

Once that is handed down, I will comment!

Suffice to say that although I have appeared as a witness at previous VCAT hearings, being the key party defending against a company trying to overturn a council decision was quite daunting.  

The hearing was in three parts, the original three days, four additional days and then a concluding half day. Because of an anonymous witness with COVID the meeting was held online which made the whole episode very “clunky”. It was very tiring and hard to listen to some of the statements tabled by the developer.  

Enough said, we are hoping for a positive outcome hopefully sooner rather than a long wait! Thank you, to all the residents who donated to our fighting fund. I just wish we had been able to channel the money to a worthy cause rather than fighting something we feel is not in our village! 

In other news, the Parkville Association paid its respects at an Anzac Day ceremony held at Melbourne University where members laid a wreath. Many residents were also in attendance and joined the University regiment and guests.   

As an association one of our objectives has been to build relationships with our larger neighbours and I am thrilled to say that is now happening with the University and Trinity College. Although we as residents are the newcomers, the University in 1853 and South Parkville in 1873 means we have spent 150 years as neighbours! 

On the subject of the University, one of its more famous alumni sadly passed away this weekend. Barry Humphries grew up in Camberwell and studied and started acting at the University. Given Moonee Ponds is only just over three kilometres from Parkville I am sure some of his early thoughts on suburbia were fostered in Naughtons! RIP Edna! 

Other important news for Parkville is the Royal Park Master Plan is to be handed down shortly which, while it has taken forever, is very exciting. We will get a glimpse of this at our forthcoming annual general meeting (AGM).  

The works at Parkville Station are also progressing well with the reinstatement works nearing completion at Grattan St west and from there up to Story St. Hopefully when complete they will remove the additional “rat runners” that are using Story St.

We are also awaiting information on the proposed sky-rail over Park St and through Royal Park. We are opposed to this as it will bookend the park from tall residential blocks in the west and the raised railway lines in the east.  

Amazingly the answer to date from the project says they are working on plans and will consult the local neighbourhood. All I have asked for is the length of the track needed to bring the line down from 4.3 metres over Park St. Given the track goes into a gully en-route to Royal Park Station this is an impossibility without a lengthy piece of track. The answer is simple, but they don’t know at this stage! For residents in The Avenue the thought must be of great concern. 

With our AGM coming up in May it is a good time to think about joining the association and helping us keep the whole of Parkville intact and to foster a great community spirit. Anyone interested in joining, please email me ...  •