At last week’s Council meeting, myself, Helen Halliday, Alex Darton and Dr Geraldine McLoughlin spoke to the proposed sale of Council owned land known as the Coles car park.
Together, over the last four years we have advocated for a revitalised, diverse Carlisle St village.
We have sought more open space on Nelson St, preservation of significant trees as new developments occur, reinvestment of funds from the sale of any local Council assets back into the local area, improved pedestrian safety through the precinct and reinstatement of public toilets.
A thriving Carlisle St is a key priority for my Council election campaign in Alma Ward, and for me personally.
It’s an area that Council has neglected for the last decade, leading to its current perilous state.
Carlisle St now has 30 empty shops, few public amenities and a library in urgent need of modernization.
It is part of a history of Council underinvestment across Balaclava, Alma Ward and St Kilda East.
The future of the Coles car park is crucial to how our shopping village can come alive.
Our community deserves a shopping village where locals have thriving small businesses offering a diversity and variety of retailers, not just major supermarkets.
And where locals feel welcome and excited to make Carlisle St their main shopping destination.
We can’t leave it to Coles and Woolworths, corporate giants with access to power and influence, to decide the future of Carlisle St precinct.
We need a shared community vision for our street and the whole area, not just for the supermarket sites, and not just what the big corporations want.
This should precede a potential sale of the car park.
That vision must prioritise a variety and diversity of retailers, meeting our everyday needs so that locals want to come to Carlisle St rather than shop somewhere else.
Streets and shopfronts need to be clean, accessible, appealing, well-lit, and safe.
Port Phillip is home to many who lack safe housing and who live with dependency and mental health issues.
These members of our community need local support services, improved access to safe housing and intensive personal support and care services. Council must resume investment and partnerships in social housing for local residents facing housing stress.
The Council land in the Coles car park was purchased decades ago with funds raised by local traders, and any funds raised from its sale must be reinvested into the local area.
That commitment to attracting people to a vibrant shopping village should be honoured.
Council’s current hands-off approach is destroying our street.
We need love, vision and strategic smarts from our next council. Not more neglect as Coles and Woolworths decide what they want to do.
I will vote on council to ensure that the people of St Kilda East, Balaclava, St Kilda, Ripponlea and Elwood have a thriving shopping village precinct.
Justin Halliday
Independent Candidate for Alma Ward
Photo caption:
Justin Halliday (pictured right), Alex Darton, Colin Sindall, Helen Halliday, Gill Upton and Catherine Wilson with Mayor Heather Cunsolo and CEO Chris Carroll and council officers.
