Path to Nowhere
With so much development going on, its impacts are being felt in our streets, neighbourhoods and skies… Yes I said skies. Have you noticed that new developments (in already settled areas) are adding footpaths, lights and no trees? Residents in Fussell Street have reported new street lighting, and council officers have confirmed that a new footpath is on its way.
This is not a great plan guys! We are losing our night skies, and getting a heap of concrete footpaths to nowhere. Please report any new lights to us, and to council, if you are concerned about preserving our night skies. They wont know until we tell them.
Next week we are meeting with Councillors Des Hudson and Peter Innes along with Council Officers to discuss some strategic planning for the area. Tell us in comments below what is important to you… for better and worse. I know we have been talking strategic planning for a few years now, however we hope this will be the start of a good process, so stay strong, and stay engaged. Together we will get through, and protect the East from over-development.
Talk it up folks!
New trees – Usually in multi lot developments (in other Councils at least) the Landscape plan has to include tree plantings on the nature strips.
Council shouldn’t tick off the development as finished without them. Even if the trees were planted at the early stages of building and then demolished and trampled by all the trucks visiting the site. In that case they have to be replaced before sign off.
Hey Judy Ann. What about a mass installation of clothes lines in a very public space – to make the point. 🙂
” …very small blocks with no open space on each block for a clothes line, trampoline, kids and dogs to run. Space needs to be available on public land for same…”
I would like the character of the streets to be maintained and development should fit in with what exists. Footpaths on Wilson street in front of the new development go now where and stand out as the rest of the street has grass verges. It looks ridiculous.
There is too much street lighting, we do not need to light up our streets at night, all it does is scare the wildlife and take away the beauty of our night skies which become unveiwable.
I want neighbourhood character respected, the ramshackle everyone is welcome style of Ballarat East is being lost to developers who don’t live here, don’t respect the area and don’t create responsive design (that is design that looks like it belongs).
I want an end to repetitive design where one house looks like the next and the next and the next, so much so that residents have to have a different colour door to find their way home.
I want out environment not just respected but celebrated. Our creeks and waterways and trees and wildlife are a crowning glory, not to be concreted over.
I want trees trees trees. The number that have been cut down since I moved into the East 40 years ago is devastating.
Most of all I want our council to care as much for us as they do for the newer suburbs, albeit in a different way.
I would like development to be positive in keeping with the atmosphere that is already here. No more fortress style developments on very small blocks with no open space on each block for a clothes line, trampoline, kids and dogs to run. Space needs to be available on public land for same, including much wider streets, additional access to streets and some open space for people to gather for a chat or barbecue. Open space somewhere else is a contradiction to the definition.
Housing needs to be more “green” Bring back eaves and verandas for a start. Ensure more space between houses, overcrowding this way causes the friction we see between residents. Stable population is needed, it doesn’t happen in these areas.
Public transport (buses) will never be able to service these streets, quite oftren dump trucks etc can’t either
Street lighting does not need to be searchlights. Gentle glow directed downwards at about a metre high is quite good.
Suitable space must be available to protect habitat and pathways of native plants and animals. These creatures have been lost, not only on subdivisions, but for large areas nearby as a result of loss of habitat.
There needs to be more than tar and cement and “Ticky Tacky Little Boxes” as seen in parts of Ballarat and beyond, built for investors by investors for greed. Protect current and future residents and other living things from this. Let the closer development continue in inner Capital cities.
Infrastructure, including wider roads,better traffic control, shops, public transport, inner city parking, hospitals, fire stations, ambulances all need to be in place.
These are already way behind for the current population, let alone future needs.
You said it all Judyann so I can’t really add to the conversation except to say that your idea about street lighting is a great idea and it would add to the charm of the area.