Showing posts with label issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label issues. Show all posts

Tuesday 6 October 2020

Rejuvenating local shopping centres in Maling Ward and COVID-19 rate relief

Shops and traders in local centres across Boroondara have experienced a lot of hardship with the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions.  

Maling Road in particular has several vacant shops now.  


The new retail premises under the development of the old Bradshaws site at 87 Maling Rd have remained vacant for over 2 years now.

Rents charged by landlords for retail premises are very high. For example:

  • $75K per annum for 105sqm
  • $92K per annum for 144sqm
Tims bookshop moved out of Maling Road due to the very high rent in August 2009 - much to the distress of our family who were regulars there.  It is possible that the premises may be turned into more residential apartments.

Friday 12 October 2012

I spoke at the local Falun Dafa forum in Balwyn


I was invited by Lucy Lieu from Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) to participate in a public forum in Balwyn for candidates across Boroondara to meet local Falun Dafa members.  This is one of the very few chances I have had to speak at a public event and meet local residents in a forum in the run up to the Boroondara Council elections.

Falun Dafa is an advanced self-cultivation practice based on Zhen that espouses the admirable principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.

I spoke my first words of Mandarin - Dàjiā hǎo (welcome).

I provided an overview of my background and life in Boroondara, then briefly covered several issues in Maling Ward and across Boroondara such as inappropriate development, improving public transport, a plan for the Hawthorn to Box Hill shared trail and the delivery of important local community services.

I had a couple of excellent questions.  I was asked why international students cannot get a student concession card for public transport and have to pay full fare.  I said I thought that this was not appropriate and that Boroondara Council should advocate to the Victorian Government for international students to get concession cards.

Another resident asked if train services could be increased to Canterbury Station.  I replied that there are too few trains stopping at East Camberwell, Canterbury and Chatham stations in Maling Ward, and that I thought is was appropriate for Boroondara Council to also advocate to the Victorian Government for increased services.  You can sometimes wait up to 20 minutes between trains during peak hours.  There should be a service every 10 minutes during busy periods, and every 30 minutes on weekends and during off peak periods.

After the formalities we shared a nice afternoon tea and chatted further about local issues.

It was a pleasure to see so many people interested in local issues and opportunities throughout Boroondara.

Saturday 29 September 2012

Out and about in Maling Ward

Today I visited some fine local cafes and did some door knocking to meet some residents of Maling Ward.  I visited Mick at Cafe Biscotti next to South Surrey Park, who told me that Council is planning to extend a garden bed on the footpath.  Some drivers have come out of Through Road opposite and mounted the footpath here thinking it is a road.  Mick has suggested a handrail along the kerbside to prevent this.  There is a need for more consultation here.


I next visited Peter at Wilson & Walsh in Maling Road, where you can get the best home made sausage rolls with salad in Melbourne, and great coffee.


A father was helping his young son cycle near the proposed route of the Hawthorn to Box Hill Trail - a family-friendly shared pedestrian and bike path that could connect Surrey Hills to Box Hill and back to Camberwell and Hawthorn.


Some children were cycling on the safety of Canterbury Sportsground off Guildford Road.


The bike lane on Mont Albert Road looks good, but doesn't work well when cars park in it as they frequently do.  I don't think this is safe for children to ride on.


Finally, I had a nice lunch and coffee at the Red Brick Cafe in Mont Albert Road.  Local cafes are very popular with residents for coffee, snacks and meals.



Some residents invited me in for a chat and a coffee.  Most were very supportive of the Hawthorn to Box Hill Trail.   Some raised concerns about Council removing native flowering gums from nearby streets.  Some were concerned about increased rates and noted that property values had decreased recently in the area from the height of the recent boom.  Concerns about inappropriate development and loss of heritage homes was again mentioned by many residents.

I had a nice time, and made it home before the storms came through.

Sunday 9 September 2012

Peter Campbell for Maling Ward in Boroondara in 2012

I am running for Maling Ward for the upcoming postal election for Boroondara.

As a long-term Surrey Hills resident, I greatly value our tree-lined streets, parks and gardens, recreational facilities, cultural activities and diversity.  You can read more about me here.

If elected I will work to:

Protect and improve our environment
  • Initiatives to increase recycling, save water, promote energy efficiency and reduce our carbon emissions 
  • Retain significant trees during renovations and re-building 
  • Protect and improve our public parks and open spaces 
Surrey Gardens. Photo: Peter Campbell, Wikipedia

Ensure appropriate urban development and protect our local heritage
  • Make our delightful strip shopping centres more pedestrian-friendly and promote our small businesses in Maling Ward 
  • Preserve and re-use iconic buildings 
  • Protect the heritage values and character of our suburbs  [more information]
Improve local transport
Support our community
  • Provide more kindergarten and child care facilities to meet our growing demand 
  • Provide vital services that allow older people to remain at home in comfort 
  • Encourage and support local festivals to build and strengthen our community spirit
  • Provide more activities and events for young people
Maling Road street party. Photo: Peter Campbell

Maling Road street party. Photo: Peter Campbell

If you have any questions or you would like to have a chat, please contact me on 0409 417 504 or malingward@gmail.com