Moving in Right Direction

Development plans for Smith Street moving in the right direction.

The City of Yarra has brokered a series of meetings with the developer, Banco, and the Collingwood Action Group, to address community concerns about original plans for a multi-tower, high-rise mixed use development on Smith Street. The City of Yarra attracted a record 1500 objections to the planning application in May.

Collingwood Action Group (CAG) spokesperson Ms Cliodhna Rae said today that the facilitated meetings had been productive and that ‘Banco’s revised plans for the Smith Street site were moving in the right direction’.

While the group appreciated the developers being at the table to discuss amendments to the plans, Ms Rae said, ‘The majority of people in CAG have been uncomfortable with the “in confidence” and “without prejudice” nature of discussions, which were insisted upon us when entering these facilitated meetings with the City of Yarra and the developer’.

Ms Rae noted that the process had placed members of CAG under considerable pressure, and added: ‘It should be clearly noted that the community is not resourced to take on the task of developing planning policies on the run’.

‘There is strong solidarity within CAG to continue working with the council and the developer in reaching an outcome that is more in line with community expectations for Smith Street, and this has been communicated to the City of Yarra.’

Collingwood Action Group
Cliodhna Rae

Media spokesperson 0414 268 579
cag@smithstreet.org