Tuesday, 17 February, 2026
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Arts group lauded
‘Preventable’ tragedy
Vital nursery threat
Bloods go big
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Shades of joy Jollee and Bella stayed cool under parasols while crowds basked at a glorious Springvale Lunar New Year Festival on Sunday 15 January. Buckingham Avenue heaved with a showcase of entertainers, foods, stalls and fireworks to bring in the Year of the Horse. More pictures, turn to page 14
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Highrise tension and Dandenong. Subject to public consultation, most of Springvale CBD will be allowed up to 12 storeys. In central Noble Park, up to six storeys will be allowed across the board – a dramatic escalation from City of Greater Dandenong’s 2023 structure plan. The 12-storey sites would be three times taller than Noble Park’s tallest residences – the fourstorey flats near Copas Park – which “should be as
high as we go”, Greater Dandenong resident Gaye Guest says. “There’s two opinions on this – you’re either with this idea that we have to live like in the inner city, or you’re against it.” Traffic is already congested, without adding more cars and residents, she says. Eligible buildings in the Springvale, Noble Park and Dandenong “core areas” will be ‘deemed to comply’ with planning rules and be exempt
from VCAT review, meaning residents will have less say. The housing densification is part of the Government’s vision for 300,000-plus new homes across Melbourne by 2051. “We want more Victorians to have the opportunity to live close to public transport, their loved ones, and the things that matter to them,” Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said. More on the story, turn to page 3
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Springvale and Noble Park CBDs will be home to 16-storey and 12-storey high-rise apartments respectively, under new draft height limits unveiled by the State Government. Meanwhile, new eight-storey areas have been unveiled on the fringes of Dandenong’s CBD as part of the proposed train-and-tram activity centres. Up to four storeys could be coming to lowlying neighbourhoods in Springvale, Noble Park