Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held virtually by Zoom and broadcast on the City's website on 15 December 2020, commencing at 7:00pm.
Andrew Kean
Suzanne Rus
John Verikios
Rebecca Miller
Councillors:
S Asher (Mayor)
A Aitken
K Grzybek
B Harwood
E Kontelj
S Mansfield
J Mason
B Moloney
P Murrihy
R Nelson
T Sullivan
M Cutter ( Chief Executive Officer)
R Leonard (Director Governance, Strategy and Performance)
The Mayor declared the meeting open at 7:00pm.
Council acknowledges Wadawurrung Traditional Owners of this land and pays its respects to all Elders past and present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who are part of the Greater Geelong community today.
Nil.
Nil.
Councillor Mansfield moved, Councillor Sullivan seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 1 December 2020 be confirmed.
Carried.
Councillor Mason declared a Conflict of Interest in Agenda Item 1, Amendment C363GGEE Central Road, Drysdale Rezoning – Consideration of Panel Report and Adoption of Amendment in that he has had connections with a landowner who also owns land within Amendment C363GGEE.
Councillor Mansfield declared a Conflict of Interest in Agenda Item 3, Proposed Ministerial Planning Scheme Amendment – McKellar Centre in that her spouse is the Director of Mental Health Services at Barwon Health.
Councillor Kontelj declared a Conflict of Interest in Agenda Item 3, Proposed Ministerial Planning Scheme Amendment – McKellar Centre in that his spouse is an employee of Barwon Health working at the McKellar Centre.
Councillor Kontelj declared a Conflict of Interest in Agenda Item 13, Tender T2000051 Supply of Concrete and Concrete Works in that several of those noted interested parties in the report are customers of the business of which he is a Director.
The following questions were submitted prior to the Council meeting from Andrew Keen, Suzanne Rus, John Verikios and Rebecca Miller.
Andrew Keen submitted the following questions:
Council has known about the poor condition of Kees Road, Lara and the need for widening since before its approval of Manzeene Village and Lara West. (refer Council minutes 12/11/2013). Since that time, whenever questions regarding the improvement of Kees Road are asked they are met with the too brief answers "Investigate" or "ongoing maintenance".
The approval of Manzeene Village was conditional on the improvement and widening of Kees Road after the subdivision along Kees Road was complete. It is now complete.
Traffic volume is expected to increase to over 1000 vehicles per day, even before Lara West commences (see Manzeene Village Traffic Report).
Does Council accept that Kees Road is not suitable for the increase in traffic volume?
Thank you for your questions, Andrew.
The road currently has a narrow centre seal with some gravel shoulders. Our condition assessment acknowledges that the pavement needs an upgrade and drainage improvements. We are therefore planning for the upgrade of Kees Road to a full width seal for two-way traffic to cater for current and future community needs.
When is Council going to make a firm decision and rectify this problem?
The project is being funded from the City’s Street Construction program with developer contribution between Windemere Road and Benjamin Drive. It is scheduled to commence construction this financial year (2020/21) with tenders for works to be advertised early in 2021.
Suzanne Rus submitted the following questions:
What are you going to do about the hoons, along Limeburners Road and especially the corner of Ryrie Street and Limeburners Road intersection?
Ryrie Street is becoming a nightmare to live on, with hoons doing burnouts, drifts and speeding;
The cars they use are extremely loud;
As of late a few of the vehicles have no number plates and have burnout tyres on the back 2 wheels;
This year they have become a problem, for 7 days of the week, starting in the afternoon and well into the early hours of the next morning; and
Ringing the police all the time is not the answer, the Council needs to address this issue and solve it. PLEASE!
Thank you for your questions, Suzanne.
The intersection of Ryrie Street and Limeburners Road is managed by Department of Transport.
The City does not have any proposals for this location as it is outside of our jurisdiction, however, we have focused on improving the car park at Limeburners to reduce hooning and anti-social activity. The improvements include placing wheel stops to reduce the open area and the installation of additional lighting and CCTV.
Why aren't trucks required to 'NOT' to use their air brakes, through the city of Geelong and especially, as far as I am concerned, Ryrie Street?
It is recognised that excessive truck noise can affect the amenity of residential dwellings and this is one of the reasons the Department of Transport installs signs at certain locations advising truck drivers to avoid using their engine brakes. Generally, these locations are where truck drivers’ attention needs to be drawn to avoid the use of engine brakes. However, it should be noted that engine brakes are an integral part of a truck’s braking system and it is not appropriate to restrict truck drivers from using their engine brakes in an area where braking may be essential or required to ensure safety. Truck engine brake signs are advisory only and have no regulatory authority.
The Department of Transport has developed a Guide to the Reduction of Traffic Noise, which provides advice to residents about measures they can take to assist in reducing traffic noise in their homes. The guide is available to download at www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/planning-and-projects/environment/noise.
Please address the problem of the large amounts of traffic traveling down Ryrie Street. For at least 2 hours in the morning 7-9am and late in the afternoon 4-6pm we find it extremely difficult to access our home by foot or car.
Please don't give me the same old answers that Council have tried, in the past to shift more traffic to other main roads.
I am convinced if any of you lived on Ryrie Street this traffic issue would be dealt with.
Ryrie Street is an arterial road under the management of the Department of Transport. The City is not aware of any immediate works the Department of Transport has in progress for reducing the volume of vehicles on Ryrie Street. To understand future plans for this road, the Department of Transport can be contacted on 13 37 78. We have also forwarded this request on your behalf.
John Verikios submitted the following questions:
In early 2019, I contacted council to express my concerns regarding the Better Bike Connection southern route with respect to the design and its interaction with my service station in South Geelong.
My concerns related to ease of access into and exit from my service station for customers and particularly for the B-double tankers servicing the site.
I received a response from [an officer in] the Engineering Department at that time acknowledging and noting my concerns and advised that the best course of action would be to meet on site to go over those concerns.
I never heard or received any further correspondence regarding this matter.
Viva Energy the operators of my service station also requested further formation at that time and have informed me that no response was forthcoming from the CoGG.
Is it possible for this meeting still to occur and would it achieve anything at this stage now that the works are being tendered?
Thank you for your questions, John.
Council officers will be in touch to provide a project update and look forward to the opportunity to discuss the detailed designs that are currently out for construction tender.
Also, would it be possible for me to view working drawings of the Moorabool Street section as artistic rendering often does not provide any real detail and can be quite different to the finished product?
Designs have been finalised and can be viewed online on the City’s website.
Rebecca Miller submitted the following questions:
Proposed Sale of Part 11 McHarry Court, Corio:
How will the loss of parkland be offset by the Council with the addition of other parkland?
Thank you for your questions, Rebecca.
Our analysis of open space in the broader Corio area indicates there is adequate supply of open space (land area), however the key issue is about the quality and activation of open space.
The City envisage that a masterplan for the balance of the open space in Connections Park would consider improvement to the open space to improve the quality and use of the site by community.
This parcel has been identified as surplus to the open space requirements in the area. The sale proceeds will go into a reserve, as per Section 24A (8) of the Subdivision Act, for improvements to other open space within the area.
How can homeowners in Geelong trust the Council not to scalp further parklands?
When Council identifies land as surplus to its various strategies, a public consultation process takes place, which did occur for this site. The City is always looking at its assets to determine their best value to the community. This process is supported by the Local Government Act.
What investments will the Council make in public transport and drainage to prevent noise/light/air pollution from increased private car use/density of living and to counteract loss of permeable soil?
Any development on the site into the future will be subject to satisfying the planning requirements, including environmental issues and traffic, as part of a subsequent planning permit process.
Nil.
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