I have had a number of positive comments about the new barriers installed on footpaths and parking spaces outside cafes, restaurants and licensed premises across Hobsons Bay. They are part of the Hobsons Bay Business Has Heart outdoor program designed to help businesses to recover from the disruptions to their operations caused by the coronavirus pandemic by expanding their eating …
Continue readingI am now Hobsons Bay City Council’s longest serving councillor after being sworn in on Thursday, following the declaration of the poll that day. I was elected to the council in a tight battle for Strand Ward, along with Jonathon Marsden and Pamela Sutton-Legaud, from 12 candidates that stood for three positions. It was my seventh successive council victory, spanning …
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The Covid pandemic has put a few council projects back a step or two. The renewal of Maclean Reserve in Williamstown was one of those. But now that restrictions are easing, I am sure the consultation on the design of this community park will begin in the coming weeks. I understand a draft design will soon develop as a starting …
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Work on the Altona Sports Centre – Hobsons Bay’s premier basketball and netball stadium – in Altona Meadows is progressing well. Long sections of the exterior concrete walls have been erected and the first of the roof trusses secured. Four new courts are being added to the stadium, taking the number of indoor courts to 10. The tender, won by …
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Hobsons Bay Council plans to begin the restoration of one of its iconic buildings, the Williamstown Mechanics Institute, in the coming years. But what level of refurbishment and amenity may be dependent on external funding. The building dates back to 1860, when a timber hall, library and reading rooms were built on the site between Electra Street and Melbourne Road. …
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Hobsons Bay has nearly 27,000 trees in its parks and another 45,000 in the streets. There are thousands of other trees on private land and in conservation areas. All up, it is estimated by RMIT the Hobsons Bay municipality has a canopy cover of 7.9 per cent of its total land area. That makes it one of the worst in …
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Work should begin on the park in front of the Mosque in Blenheim Road, Newport, this financial year. Council has allocated $250,000 in the 2020-21 Budget to begin the upgrade after conducting two community consultation sessions last year to ascertain local residents’ views. This year’s Budget allocation includes the installation of public toilets on the park. The work should carry …
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The Level Crossing Removal Project proponents have snubbed the Williamstown community over a sensible design for the Ferguson Street crossing. The Hobsons Bay City Council adopted a design for the North Williamstown station precinct at its August 11 council meeting, based on the Williamstown community’s aspirations for the area. Importantly, it included retention of the heritage east station building and …
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The pecking order for the renewal of our roads is based on fixing the worst ones first. Over the years, Council would allocate about $6 million a year to road renewal. But this year, it has been ramped up to $11.6 million and in 2021-22, the plan is to increase that to $13 million. While much of the focus in …
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The extension of the basketball/netball centre in Altona Meadows is on track. When this project was being planned, Hobsons Bay City Council engaged Otium Planning Group about four years ago to analyse our needs. Otium told us that the growth in basketball participation – our fastest growing sport – meant that Hobsons Bay City Council would need to build two …
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