The most popular reason that people choose to live in the CBD is its variety and closeness to social and cultural activities. The latest survey of residents by Residents 3000 shows that 57 per cent of respondents chose this as a factor which influenced their decision to live in the CBD. Other popular reasons for…
Apartment standards have been relaxed
By Shane Scanlan Victoria’s new apartments standards to become law next month are significantly more relaxed than the draft that was circulated in the middle of last year. The Property Council of Australia has taken the credit for securing “big wins” following the release by Planning Minister Richard Wynne of the new rules before Christmas.…
CBD residents may be relocated
The Metro Rail Authority (MMRA) is talking about relocating CBD residents affected by five years of 24-hour, seven days a week construction. In its environmental effects statement (EES), the authority warns of severe amenity impacts as it builds both CBD North and CBD South stations from 2018. Unlike other affected areas, the work in the…
33,433 now call CBD home
By Sean Car The population in the CBD rose by 8.3 per cent last year according to latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). According to the ABS data, 33,433 people now call the CBD home, which is thanks to an additional 2565 people moving in between 2014 and 2015. The findings show…
Residents are a low priority for council election
By Shane Scanlan If you are a CBD resident, the chances are you won’t be voting in the council election to be held later this year, but your landlord probably will. Fewer than a quarter of the CBD’s residents appear to be enrolled to vote and, even then, there is little confidence in the accuracy…
Giving people a voice
The support and feed-back for the We Live Here Movement has been overwhelming since our December launch. Thank you to everyone that continues to visit our website to keep up to date or register as a supporter. We are growing in number as people become aware of the movement and we are proud to say…
New resident lobby group
A new advocacy group to tackle issues facing inner-city residential apartment dwellers was established in December. Known as “We Live Here”, the group was established at a meeting in Docklands in December which included residents from the CBD. Group convenor Barbara Francis is also the owners’ corporation chair at the Watergate apartment complex, which has…
Old lane gets a new name
The residents adjacent to the city’s newest (old) laneway celebrated long and hard last month when their lane finally got a name. Commissioner Lane is now the official name for the lane beside the Grand Central Apartments in Spencer St. Resident Mike Kelly explained that the lane used to be called Southern Cross Lane, until…
Call for resident-free city zones
By Shane Scanlan A suggestion has been made to ban residential development from parts of the CBD to protect commercial property owners from unintended extra costs. Property Council of Victoria deputy executive director Asher Judah says the Postcode 3000 experiment has been so successful, it risked undermining the CBD as a commercial centre. Mr Judah…
Residents are the big spenders
By Shane Scanlan City of Melbourne residents spend four times as much as city workers in Melbourne’s shops, cafes and bars, new research has revealed. SGS Economics & Planning research shows that residents each spend $10,000 on retail and hospitality each year within the city. Workers spend $2500 each year on retail and hospitality, while…