WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 2026
Local News New pocket park ■ Yarra City Council will create two new pieces of public open space in Collingwood, backing proposals to discontinue parts of Budd St and Mater St, and convert the land into pocket parks. Yarra Council resolved to remove the two road sections from its Register of Public Roads, clearing the way for the land to vest in Council and be retained as public open space.
approach COUNCIL EXPOSED Better needed: Mayor TO WAR FUEL CRISIS
Safer crossings ■ Bayside Council is improving safety at the roundabout connecting New St, St Andrews St, Park St and Well St in Brighton. The five new raised pedestrian-priority wombat crossings are located at the busy intersection located near schools, Cabrini Hospital and situated between Brighton Beach and the Church St activity centre. The project will take up to three months, weather permitting. Works are scheduled during regular construction hours, Monday to Friday, between 7am and 5pm. Crossings are being installed one road at a time to minimise the impact.
Quarries Park works ■ Works have commenced at Quarries Park in Clifton Hill for the upgrades to the dog off-leash area, delivering a safer, more enjoyable and better-equipped space for dogs and their owners. The upgrade includes a new dog park layout, new paths, a new shelter and seating, upgraded fencing along Wright St and Yambla St, new garden beds, a dedicated dog agility area, new tree planting and a new drinking fountain and bins.
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● Cr Justin Halliday
■ City of Port Phillip Councillor Justin Halliday has enquired how much the Council is exposed to greater costs because of the fuel crisis caused by war in the Middle East. “What exposure do we have as an organisation to these higher fuel prices, and at what point will this have a material impact on our budget?” Chris Carroll, Chief Executive Officer, advised that Council does have risks associated with what’s going on. Council runs a range of services that rely on fuel and a range of services that rely on supply of goods from the Middle East and major shipping lanes. “When there is trouble in that region there is flow on impacts to Council,” Mr Carroll told the latest municipal meeting.
1600 SEEK TO SHAPE CREATIVE FUTURE ■ Kingston residents are being invited to help finalise the city’s cultural roadmap, with the Draft Creative and Learning Strategy, now open for community feedback until April 26. The draft strategy brings together Kingston’s arts, events and libraries for the first time under a single vision, outlining how these services will support creativity, learning and community connection across the city over the next five years. More than 1600 residents contributed ideas and feedback during the first round of consultation, helping to shape the draft now being shared with the community. Kingston Mayor Cr Georgina Oxley said the strong response highlighted just how important arts, events and libraries are to the Kingston community.
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● Cr Georgina Oxley, Mayor
● Cr Melina Sehr
■ Stonnington Mayor Cr Melina Sehr says a better approach is needed by the State Government towards its activity centre hubs. “The City of Stonnington has endorsed a submission to the State Government’s Stage 2 Activity Centre Program, proposing an alternative approach grounded in our existing evidence-based strategic work; work that already exceeds the State’s own housing targets.” Maps proposing increased building heights and densities around activity centres across Stonnington includes South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, Hawksburn, Toorak (Beatty Avenue), Toorak Village, Armadale, Malvern and Caulfield (within Glen Eira but impacting Malvern East).