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SmithStreet.org « CAG « Media Releases « INFORMATION RELEASE: SMITH STREET 'BANCO' DEVELOPMENT - COMMUNITY PICKET BEGINS!

Saturday 29th October at 11 a.m., 152 Smith Street, the battle to save Smith Street and the diverse communities of Collingwood and Fitzroy from bad development picks up pace with a 'community picket training day' at the site of 'Banco's' proposed development.

COLLINGWOOD ACTION GROUP INFORMATION RELEASE
Wednesday 26 October 2005

SMITH STREET 'BANCO' DEVELOPMENT - COMMUNITY PICKET BEGINS!
Saturday 29th October, 11 a.m. 152 Smith Street, Collingwood

The battle to save Smith Street and the diverse communities of Collingwood and Fitzroy from bad development will pick up pace on Saturday 29th October, with a 'community picket training day' at the site of the proposed 'Banco' development at 132-172 Smith Street Collingwood.

The Collingwood Action Group (CAG) has called the picket to demonstrate the level of community opposition to the proposal.

'Banco' proposes a three-tower apartment complex and shopping mall serviced by hundreds of car parks, occupying most of a block in the historic area. The towers would be up to eight storeys high. The plans were rejected by Yarra Council in February, after a record 1500 objections were lodged. Banco appealed to VCAT, so Planning Minister Rob Hulls 'called in' the plans and referred them to a Priority Development Panel (PDP) along with Yarra Council's interim structure plan for Smith Street.

CAG believes that the panel process is effectively skewed so greatly in favour of developers and against residents and community groups, that no fair result is possible.

'We are picketing the Banco site to demonstrate our total opposition to the proposed development' CAG spokesman Mr Earl Sakareassen said today. 'We are willing to negotiate to get good development for Smith Street, but will continue the public campaign to stop the existing proposal in its tracks'.

'Banco's proposal is totally outside new planning guidelines for Smith Street recently adopted by Yarra Council. We want a maximum height level of five storeys with decent setbacks, a better design, preservation of heritage buildings, traffic and amenity controls'.

'The panel process has proved to be as unfair as VCAT. It is dedicated to fast-tracking development in Melbourne 2030's "activity centres". Residents have to hire QCs to be represented and analyse hundreds of pages of documents in two week timelines. We want a planning process with no lawyers, reasonable time periods, and a fair consideration of the heritage and community character of the neighbourhood'.

The 'picket training day' will run from 11am - 1pm outside the 'Go Lo' discount store (152 Smith Street) near the Old Post Office. CAG hopes that Collingwood and Fitzroy residents, workers and visitors will roll up, as well as people concerned about the future of Melbourne from far and wide.

'If the Banco development is approved in its current form or merely "tweaked", the picket will become ongoing, and we will ask other community and labour groups to respect the picket line' Mr Sakareassen said.

FOR MEDIA COMMENT
Collingwood Action Group, Earl Sakareassen 0425 748 888
Yarra Council, Cllr Steve Jolly 0437 856 713
Save our Suburbs, President Ian Quick 0422 479 540
Interviews or Logistics: Guy Rundle 0410 705 293