Our plan for Parkville
As we emerge from COVID-19, we can’t continue with the broken politics that rewards pollution and favours donors at the expense of the genuine public good. We need a Council that puts the people of Melbourne first, and we need Councillors who will work with and fight for the people who live here.
Our plan for Parkville in 2020-24
Since the City of Melbourne Act was introduced in 2001, The Greens have been the only councillors who publish policies and keep them published throughout the term of Council. We are serious about transparency and accountability.
Our policies are for a more sustainable, affordable, healthy and prosperous Parkville:
- We will protect Royal Park. We will ensure that the new Royal Park Masterplan is an honest and transparent process, based on community consultation, citizen science, established benefits (remnant native vegetation retention, ‘dark park’ principles for biodiversity and heritage values) and expert input.
- We will see through our Sunlight To Parks planning controls, a Greens initiative that will protect our open space for the public good. (See our Parks For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
- We will build separated bicycle lanes on Royal Parade to remove conflict zones between pedestrians, cyclists and cars once and for all, for the benefit and safety of everyone.
- We will commission and complete a Parkville Heritage Review to update the 35 years out-of-date local heritage controls.
- We will fast-track organics, recycling and waste options without a new waste charge. The City of Melbourne’s waste rates are far too high; we have a plan to support communities to greatly reduce waste and to recycle what we can. We will partner with local networks that are already working hard on composting and resource recovery. (See our Recycling For Everyone policy initiative.)
- We will halve rates on the few cafes and pubs left in Parkville to ensure they survive the recession, and provide rate relief to residents. We will pay for this by changing our rating system from NAV to CIV which allows for flexible differential rates to be applied, and doubling the rates on gambling premises for 5 years to help the city as a whole get through the recession. (See our Fair Rates For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
- Our municipality-wide inclusionary zoning policy will deliver new affordable homes in Parkville Gardens, in the remainder of undeveloped land. (See our Homes For Everyone policy initiative for details.)
- We will work hard to keep Council honest and ethical on all planning and development issues. We never take donations from developers or gambling interests and we will fight for transparency and accountability in the policies and decisions of Council.
- We will fight off any future East West Link just like we have done as part of a multi-faceted community campaign in the past.
Our achievements in Parkville
In Parkville, The Greens have:
- Proposed and secured an upgrade to the Elliott Ave Billabong, ensuring that it once again remains full and a quality water source for local birdlife and biodiversity.
- Progressed major biodiversity projects in Royal Park including the recent planting of 1 million seeds for indigenous wildflower meadows and other actions in the Greens’ initiated Greening Our City plan.
- Proposed and secured the rezoning of land to protect open space for future use.
- Commissioned a land use and development review of the CSL and justice precinct in North West Parkville to ensure that Council and the community are prepared for any State Government plans to sell or convert land.
- Addressed high-conflict areas of pedestrian-cyclist interaction within Royal Park through very low-impact lighting where appropriate and the pursuit of new separated infrastructure.
- Worked with other Councillors to deliver a plan for the refurbishment of sporting pavilions, including Flemington Road Oval (complete), Western (budgeted and underway), Brens (design stage) and Ryder (design stage) pavilions.
- Stopped the gifting of Council land to Yarra Trams in a heritage area for a new sub-station.
- Fought for the retention of the Flemington Road lemon scented gums which, while VicRoads overruled Council and removed them, has resulted in a stronger Tree Retention And Removal Policy at Council.
- With the community, fought off the East West Link and its destruction of Royal Park. We shifted Council’s position with a slim 1 vote victory back in 2013 despite the Doyle majority on Council.
Vote for a local
All eight Greens candidates live in the City of Melbourne. We are the only major team that can say that. The City of Melbourne routinely produces a majority of councillors who do not live in the municipality – the only Council in Australia that does this. Council is too far removed from the communities it seeks to represent. To overcome this, vote for local residents with a plan.
You can read more about our candidates here.