St Kilda and the inner bayside

What do you think of the lights at Sandridge?How well do you think they respond to the themes that came out of the consultation?These are some of the things people have said to me:'I would prefer that they were even''they call attention to themselves - I would prefer that they were more discreet'Do add your comments.

Not sure whether you are rose fans. I'm not mad for roses but I want to know that those roses we do have are well looked after.New roses in Edwards Park have been planted, and the others pruned and the beds dressed. They were getting well watered in by gentle rain when I passed.I like the way Edwards Park and Lagoon Reserve complement one another in their appearance and their use.

This footpath outside a newly completed development in Esplanade West has been re-instated at the developer's cost according to Council's new standard specifications. These require that the footpath be continuous and not interrupted by crossovers. Before the adoption of these specifications, the driveway/crossover would have crossed over the footpath. This is to show that where any new works are done - even if not by council - pedestrians should be considered first. It may appear a small thing - but we are proud of this intervention in favour of pedestrians.It also shows how a planning permit condition is implemented.The street tree ... read more

The 160 place childcare centre with 28 carparking spaces, cnr Crockford/Ingles, approved by Council in 2005 is finally nearing completion, with invitations to register for places. Meanwhile, two appeals to VCAT have been lodged against Council's decision to issue a permit for the construction of a new family and children's centre on the Lady Forster and adjacent site in Liardet St. It is hoped the appeal will be heard before the end of 2010. To review Council's decision, see posts of 19 and 20 July at http://portfocus.blogspot.com

Last weekend there were adventures afoot all over this city - too many even to be recounted within this post. I have put together a random patchwork of photos that I managed to take while on the run. I say patchwork but really it was sticky tape rather than thread holding my brain together as I galloped around Melbourne. (It was followed by a busy week, which is why I haven't had a chance to sit down and post until now.)Anyhoo, on Friday I spent the day finding the fun at Werribee ... read more

Close to the Port, the City and the freeway network, Fishermans Bend is also the largest area of industrial land in the City of Port Phillip. It is changing fast. Heavy industry has made way for an array of business parks and high-tech industries. The strategy will support ongoing engagement by Council with the area, and enable the the Council to be more proactive in building relationships with the businesses and industries there.There is a lot of work to be done for Council to have an influence on the future evolution of the precinct. A summary of the strategy can be found ... read more

Council adopted the 2009/10 Annual Accounts and Annual Report tonight. The Annual Report is full of interesting Council detail. I will post a few more snippets over coming days:Waste and recycling: Annual waste collection per bin was 567.4kgResource Recovery: the volume of e-waste, paint, batteries, light bulbs and textiles being dropped at the Resource Recovery Centre rose dramatically to over 6 tonnes of material diverted from landfill a month. This includes around 15kg of batteries per month collected via recycling drop-off points at town halls

[I attended 22/22 Council meeetings, and 10/10 Statutory Planning meetings]

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Just have a look at these roots taken out of a driveway in Clifford St, Port Melbourne where the fig trees were removed last month.Every alternate tree was removed this year, and replaced with a young tree. The remaining trees will be removed and replaced with new trees next year.

The lights at Sandridge are on! This morning an extraordinary full moon added an extra dimension to the beautiful light cast on Port Melbourne's foreshore.

I find it hard to walk past an aluminium can without picking it up for the reasons given below. I hope after reading them you might take aluminium cans you see lying about home for recycling.they are 100% recyclable, and because they remain in one piece when opened, the whole container is recycled95% less energy is used when making an aluminium can from recycled material compared to raw materials - this represents a huge reduction in greenhouse gas emissionsempty cans are light weight and easily crushed, which means they are easy to take home for recycling when you can't find a recycling ... read more