Games Village (aka “Parkville Gardens”) under construction June 2005 Courtesy OCGC newsletter

ROYAL PARK PROTECTION GROUP INC.

NEWS BULLETIN - DECEMBER 2005

THE SIEGE OF ROYAL PARK

IMPACT OF THE 2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT

Over the last six months many of us have watched in dismay as the monster development slowly materialised in Parkville on the former Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital site, where once were 2,000 mature trees; a wildlife corridor between Royal Park and the Moonee Ponds Creek; and classified heritage buildings in parkland. This mega property development “The Parkville Gardens” already has over 200 houses crammed in, wall-to-wall, on the site; with only 15 of the original trees remaining; a mere 1.8 hectares of open space left; and heritage buildings damaged, degraded, some demolished and the remaining buildings engulfed in suburbia. This residential development is now morphing into the temporary Games Village and will be occupied for only ten days for the event. The last few months saw 115 prefabricated, demountable, corrugated iron huts shipped in to ease the squeeze and to provide necessary supplementary accommodation. (Covered in the latest North Melbourne News “Camp Parkville” - see website.) Seven hectares of west Royal Park is being excised to provide a training yard for athletes. Double security fences with security cameras and lights are being erected around the Ross Straw Field and wetlands. The “lockdown” will start on 3 January 2006 with closure of Park Street, Poplar Road and Manningham Streets at Oak Street. Nearby residents will be affected for months.

As reported previously, RPPG was the “whistleblower” who alerted the Auditor General of Victoria over two years ago to what we regarded as a series of scandals, not only over the favourable treatment given the developer of “The Parkville Gardens” but the bureaucratic planning debacle over the provision of accommodation for Games athletes and officials. The Auditor-General’s report, released on 15 December 2005 was very disappointing as we had expected that it would contain a review of the contracts and tenders not just a management study of the handling of the project. It does not address any of the community concerns over the ethics of handing over 20 hectares of public parkland and heritage buildings to a private developer. The wrong questions are being asked here  - The AG should have asked - is providing a village in Parkville the most effective way of providing accommodation for 6,000 athletes and officials for 10 days of the Games? Also is the Victorian public getting value for money? The answer is "no" on both scores.  By its own admission the Government has said that it is spending $41 million - $6,833 per person. This is without security and many other costs have been hidden eg the costs of the cleanup of the site. The AG claims, wrongly we believe, that the cruise ship option for athletes is not feasible and has accepted the Government’s over inflated figures. The AG claims that the Government is handing over 12 hectares of land and that the 4 hectares is for the so-called “social housing and “public open space.” But this is not “public” as it is for a private property development and anyway takes in roads, roundabouts and footpaths. The developer has to date only built 215 houses of the total 1,000 dwellings on the site and has extensions until at least 2021 so what certainty is there of returns for the Victorian public?  See the definitive article about the AG’s report by Kenneth Davidson in the Age Business Section “A simple case of information underload” (19/12/05) and in Age Opinion “Helping hands for developers no help to poor”(22 /12/05.) RPPG gets limited media coverage, as the Games are a sacred cow immune from criticism.

“No it’s not about a race, not just about a race, it’s more about the mighty, mighty dollar. Where we used to have a park, a people place, a nature’s arc now there stands a monument to greed and plunder.” (Read ‘The Games’ for ‘a race’.). This is an extract from the CD “It’s Not About A Race” Peter Hicks & Friends (Theme tune for the Save Albert Park 3CR program.)

FURTHER EXPANSION OF ROYAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL INTO ROYAL PARK

Over six months from May to October 2005 the Minister for Health and Member for Melbourne, Bronwyn Pike, conducted a so-called “public consultation” series on the redevelopment of the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). Initially eleven (11) possible sites were said to be under consideration by the State Government for the RCH relocation/redevelopment. These included 2 Docklands sites, the CUB and just the one in Royal Park within the existing RCH footprint. There was no discussion at this stage about excision or alienation of prime parkland in Royal Park or anywhere else. In September 2005 when the second stage consultations were held suddenly the options were down to 4 – three in Royal Park and one in Docklands. When RPPG saw the Minister in October the Docklands was still a Government option for a RCH location.

All community groups involved had opted for Docklands BUT we discovered that the land had been sold by the Government before the consultation process and a report commissioned on the RCH helicopter service stated that the Docklands would be “unsafe”. This knocked out the Docklands option. The public was misled and effectively duped by the Government.

The final decision bears scarcely any relation to the options previously presented. It is a hybrid – retaining buildings from the existing RCH (the Murdoch Research Institute and the building on Flemington Rd) plus a new hospital complex built to the west on at least 4 hectares of Royal Park. Possibly up to 10 hectares will be lost as further expansion is planned. We will lose the entire southern frontage along Flemington Road, which will destroy the open landscape nature of Royal Park and result in loss of valuable recreational and sporting spaces.

No attention was paid to other models for the RCH redevelopment, for instance, the further development of dispersed paediatric units in existing suburban and regional hospitals with a central research, specialised services hospital We gathered that there had been no broad study undertaken for some years of paediatric services in Victoria. It was disturbing that many of the RCH doctors and staff of DHS gave as the prime reason for location of the RCH in Royal Park is that it would be nice for the children to look out the window at the park. One benefactor – Chair of the RCH Platinum Fund - even suggested that Zoo animals should be kept in the park for children to observe. Anyway, it seems that the private doctors might get the best views of the park, not the children. It appears that the prime motive of the Bracks Government and the private developers who will partner the RCH redevelopment in Royal Park is that the land is free. See Kenneth Davidson’s Sunday Age Opinion piece “Breathing spaces under assault from RCH plan” 13/11/05. All articles quoted are on the RPPG website www.royalparkprotect.org.au.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENTS JULY TO DECEMBER 2005

Commonwealth Games Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2005: This Act that went through the Upper House in July last provides a carte blanche for environmental vandalism of Melbourne’s parks and gardens. Any park can be declared a Games management or event venue. Games Minister Madden has already had a go at excising the Domain Gardens and Shrine Reserve for a carpark but withdrew after an outcry. RPPG requested the Opposition to propose amendments to ensure that the Government is legally required to undertake pre and post Games condition reports of parks used during the Games plus guarantees of restitution post Games. The Opposition “forgot” to pursue our request. Following RPPG’s representations to the City of Melbourne and the State Government, Council Parks and Recreation staff together with Games staff are undertaking pre and post Games surveys of Royal Park which are necessary if claims are made to the State Government re Games damage to park.

City of Melbourne Proposal to Remove Third Party Appeal Rights for Events in Public Parks: Following the debacle over the City of Melbourne’s support for staging The Big Day Out in Princes Park, “Green” Councillor Fraser Brindley led the charge to persuade Planning Minister Hulls to remove third party appeal rights for events in public parks. RPPG made a statement on 29 November 2005 to Council’s Planning and Environment Committee defending third party appeal rights and spelling out the implications for Royal Park and other parks. This retrograde move by Council can only be construed as a deliberate and cynical attempt to give unrestricted access by vested commercial and business interests and sporting groups to the parks and gardens of Melbourne. Council might as well put a “For Lease” sign up in every park.

City of Melbourne Royal Park Master Plan Committee – Now Just a Forum for Special Interest Groups: Under the Chairman, Councillor Brindley, the Committee established to revegetate and regenerate Royal Park as an inner city bushland park has degenerated into a forum where a number of individual groups put in their own bids for special treatment. For example, the Royal Park Dogs Inc (patron Bronwyn Pike) is allowed to dominate proceedings and waste valuable time in putting up ludicrous proposals such as the installation of dog paddling pools in Royal Park.

Action by RPPG to protect and defend Royal Park: By way of example take North Royal Park along Park Street. RPPG has blocked the relocation of the Royal Park Golf Club house to Park Street (some years ago); together with Park Street residents stopped the construction of a cast iron toilet block in the Park on Park St. (a toilet block in a sports pavilion just metres away was closed as it was a drug distribution centre - school kids included - and reportedly a prostitution pick up venue); forced the redesign of the new Ryder pavilion when it became clear that it would sport the notorious, obtrusive blade features; agreed to the demolition of a derelict caretaker’s cottage and ensured that the open space be retained; helped halt the realignment of the golf course fairway which would have seen felling of a line of mature trees; stopped a playground being built in an inappropriate location (on a tramline); put pressure on Council to commission non-intrusive sports lighting for sportsgrounds on Park Street; and took part in discussions over the appropriate siting of a works depot. RPPG helps protect residential amenity for residents in surrounding areas and halts inappropriate development, assisted by colleagues from the North and West Melbourne Association and the Parkville Association who are also on the Royal Park Committee. Please renew your memberships and/or give us a donation. Ring Julianne on 98184114 or 040802408 or contact jbell5@bigpond.com or see website.

Best wishes to all from the RPPG Committee for a peaceful, green Christmas and New Year.

Printed and distributed with the assistance of a community grant from the City of Melbourne