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QV & community
There were conditions that QV's developers had to meet when they bought the site from the City of Melbourne a few years back. There would be student housing, retirement homes, a creche, you know, all those things that were lacking as developers greedily built expensive apartments everywhere. Last week the council quietly announced that there would not be a creche at QV, citing 'delays'. It is looking to buy property in North Melbourne for a creche instead.
It's a real shame that a site that has cost taxpayers, ratepayers and the Republic of Nauru a fortune over the years (about $18M at the very least), has nothing of any community value to show for it - unless you think shopping has community value. One by one, all the noble stuff dropped off the project so that what we now have are just lots of shops, restuarants, pricey apartments, and BHP's HQ.
I guess we're just supposed to forget all this and enjoy the homeware shopping. But if you ever want to have a kid, or get old, you'll have to go live in the 'burbs OK.
Auditor General's report 2000 extracts:
"The main objectives of Council in selling and developing the Site, as set out in the expression of interest document, included the creation of:
* a mixture of uses across the Site, which would include retail, educational, residential, landscaped public open space (equivalent to 20 per cent of the land value), retirement accommodation, office development, entertainment and health facilities; and
* an underground car park for affordable short-term parking for up to 1 500 vehicles.
"The Council announced the selection of a Preferred Developer during December 1999. The Developer has proposed a $500 million redevelopment comprising 8 large retail homeware and specialty designer stores, up to 18 restaurants and casual dining cafes, 500 bed student accommodation, supermarket, 4 star hotel, at least 1 500 car parking spaces, more than 20 per cent open space, gymnasium and a creche."
It's a real shame that a site that has cost taxpayers, ratepayers and the Republic of Nauru a fortune over the years (about $18M at the very least), has nothing of any community value to show for it - unless you think shopping has community value. One by one, all the noble stuff dropped off the project so that what we now have are just lots of shops, restuarants, pricey apartments, and BHP's HQ.
I guess we're just supposed to forget all this and enjoy the homeware shopping. But if you ever want to have a kid, or get old, you'll have to go live in the 'burbs OK.
Auditor General's report 2000 extracts:
"The main objectives of Council in selling and developing the Site, as set out in the expression of interest document, included the creation of:
* a mixture of uses across the Site, which would include retail, educational, residential, landscaped public open space (equivalent to 20 per cent of the land value), retirement accommodation, office development, entertainment and health facilities; and
* an underground car park for affordable short-term parking for up to 1 500 vehicles.
"The Council announced the selection of a Preferred Developer during December 1999. The Developer has proposed a $500 million redevelopment comprising 8 large retail homeware and specialty designer stores, up to 18 restaurants and casual dining cafes, 500 bed student accommodation, supermarket, 4 star hotel, at least 1 500 car parking spaces, more than 20 per cent open space, gymnasium and a creche."
Comments
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and nowhere for push bikes on the whole QV block - bloody council.
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I preferrred the site when it was a skate park, or even the big hole was better that what's there now. It gave people something to gather around and talk about the future.
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looks like a shopping centre themed on the idea of the city laneway.
can't have too many coffee slurpping c*!*!*!*rs in a city.
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