Neighbourhood planning in Parkville Gardens

As we shiver through the coldest start to winter for years in Melbourne, days when the sun breaks through and blue skies are bright are most welcome.

It’s a comfort to know that daylight hours are lengthening, if ever so slowly, and mid-winter will soon be behind us.

Also coming up soon is our next neighbourhood event. The Parkville Gardens Residents’ Association (PGRA) is planning another of its successful Quiz Nights and Dinners. That’s something to look forward to in early September.

We’ll get the evening under way with our Annual General Meeting. All local residents are invited to come along and have their say. Then it’s time to enjoy the fun of the night.  More about the date, the venue, and the event in next month’s edition.

A little bit further down the track, City of Melbourne elections are set to take place in October. After six years as Lord Mayor, Sally Capp has chosen not to stand again. Cr Nick Reece has been sworn in to the office in the interim.

Thank you, Sally, farewell, and best wishes, and welcome, Nick!

We’re grateful for Sally’s initiative in arranging two monthly meetings of the presidents of residents’ associations with her, the Deputy Lord Mayor and council officers. This gives us an opportunity to make our issues and views known at Town Hall.

Another development in Sally’s time has been the council’s engagement with local neighbourhoods. In this case Parkville Gardens is not an independent unit but is treated as part of Parkville.

For the record, the other neighbourhoods are Carlton, Docklands, East Melbourne, Kensington, North Melbourne, Southbank, South Yarra, West Melbourne, and the CBD.  

Find out about the results of the Neighbourhood Surveys conducted by the City earlier this year.

Each neighbourhood had its own set of priorities. Parkville residents want:

• Better roads, paths, public transport, and parking (44 per cent)
• Affordable housing and homelessness support (43 per cent)
• Climate action and environmental sustainability (26 per cent).

Let’s ensure the new council will take action on these.

We’ve been informed that there’ll be a pedestrian safety survey in Parkville Gardens this financial year.

That’s welcome news, given the number of children and the frail aged in the area, and the increased use of our narrow local streets by drivers taking a hurried short cut between Brunswick Rd and Oak St.

A final word on our Facebook page. A reminder that the aim of this resource is to serve the good of the community and to share useful information. Posts that are not respectful, or that include images of children, have no place on it. Let’s use it well. •