Meet the Lennox Candidates 2024

Hi, I’m Theresa Saldanha, looking to represent the Richmond & Cremorne community on Council.

I’ve been a long-time resident of 3121, having lived and worked here for over two decades. As a university lecturer, consultant, and someone with a corporate background in managing large budgets, my superpower lies in getting things done—and done well. I’ve built my career around efficiency, accountability, and advocating for fairness, and those are the principles I bring to the council.

I love living in 3121. I’ve seen firsthand the potential this area holds, from the vibrancy of its businesses to the diverse backgrounds of its residents. My mornings often start with a walk through the neighbourhood with Oscar, my dog, It’s during these everyday moments that I experience both the beauty of our community and the frustration of seeing the neglect.

3121 has been treated as a second-class suburb within Yarra.

We’ve borne the brunt of skyrocketing rates, parking restrictions that hurt our local businesses, and a lack of investment in vital infrastructure—things that I know can and must be fixed. I’ve been vocal on these issues, standing against unfair policies like the bin tax, pushing back on rate and service fee hikes, and opposing poorly executed plans like the flood mapping initiative.

We need to ensure that every dollar we pay works harder for our community. That we invest wisely in things that matter—public spaces, better transport, and enhanced community services. I am here to bring a local, independent voice – your voice – to the table.

My focus is to give 3121 the attention it deserves.

How would you resolve traffic and movement issues in Lennox ward, including congestion, pedestrian access, safety and competition for parking?

Traffic and congestion in Lennox Ward are long-standing challenges. Our streets are not only crowded with cars, but the competition for parking has become a major issue for residents and businesses alike. I believe in a balanced approach: increasing pedestrian safety, enhancing public transport access, and improving parking regulations.

First, we need to push for better public transport infrastructure—more frequent trams and trains—so fewer people feel the need to drive. This would reduce congestion and make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

I would also advocate for a comprehensive evidence-based review of parking policies, especially on Swan Street and Bridge Road, where local businesses have suffered from unfair parking restrictions. Of particular concern is the continual removal of parking bays by the council, the short time limits on parking spots, the expansion of paid parking zones, and the sale of permits to non-residents while reducing the number of permit spots.

It feels as though 3121 has been unfairly targeted as a revenue source compared to other suburbs, and this has come at the expense of local businesses and the wider 3121 community. We need to ensure that local businesses aren’t losing customers due to a lack of parking, and that residents can easily access the services they rely on.

What opportunities do you see for creating additional public spaces in Lennox ward?

When it comes to creating additional public spaces, I see an opportunity in utilizing underused or neglected pockets of land. We could convert these into green spaces or community plazas, helping to improve the liveability in 3121.

Opportunities for us:

1. In Cremorne, the Balmain Street area and parts of Church Street offer opportunities to convert small, underutilized spaces into pocket parks. These areas could be revitalized into community spaces that encourage local engagement.

2. With the ward experiencing rapid development, there is potential to leverage the higher developer contribution rate to secure new green spaces, especially around high-density housing and commercial zones

3. Areas around Richmond and East Richmond stations could be transformed into green spaces or urban plazas, providing much-needed open areas for residents and commuters

4. Leveraging the riverfront, creating new green buffers along its banks, turning it into a more vibrant space for relaxation and recreation – Loy’s Paddock for example, can be developed with better access, and revitalising the space.

5. Thinking vertically – redeveloping Richmond Library with rooftop open space, I would like to see if we can also expand on this concept, encourage developments to provide rooftop open space.

6. Doing more with existing spaces – enhancing facilities in Barkly Gardens, Alan Bain reserves and McConchie Reserve

Lennox ward contains a varied mix of residential and commercial properties with a recent and growing inclusion of large multi-storey developments. What tensions or opportunities do you see here and how would you address them?

With developments, our planning DDOs need to have more detail, that go beyond height limits and overshadowing. These have been sorely lacking in Yarra Councils planning. We need to incorporate:

1. Protection of open space and sunlight – An area that Yarra Council has not focussed on, and was commented on, in the c269 planning panel hearing.

2. Urban character – what makes each suburb unique, what do we want it to look like, how do we integrate heritage with development, how do we protect and enhance laneways – there needs to be greater guidance and structure rather than broad statements that can be overturned at VCAT. It’s not a first, there are Councils that have already successfully incorporated this into their planning. We should be looking to borrow from the best.

3. Walkable suburbs- This needs to be more than just a catchy buzzword, or an after thought, there needs to be a clear plan built into DDOs and incorporated into developments themselves. We need to look beyond our streets to deliver this. Developments themselves need to be interconnected, with walkways, and live street frontages that connect with community. We cannot just hope that developers will build this into every development, we need to set those guidelines in place.

4. Provision of Services – As we grow, there are gaps being created with services. Just as we have an Open Space strategy, we also need to map provision of key services – healthcare, childcare, community services, senior services – and ensure we are working to bridge gaps in faster growing suburbs.

There is currently a draft Urban Design Framework for Cremorne. What would you prioritise, and also apply to other parts of Lennox Ward?

While the draft Cremorne Urban Design Framework provides a real opportunity to rethink how we shape our neighbourhoods, my concern is that while the objectives are clear, it doesn’t translate to actual deliverables.

The priorities are clear – open space, accessibility and transport, ensuring deliverable of community services – however, too much of this detail has been left to developers, and Council has just not put in the detail for an open space protection of sunlight strategy, an urban character strategy, ensuring walkability and street level community access, by building this into DDOs themselves, as I’ve listed in the previous answer.

Could waste collection be done better, particularly in the context of the tight narrow streets and varied zones in Lennox?

The management of rubbish and waste collection has become a major frustration for many residents, with an increasing number of bins, inconsistent services, and the introduction of the bin tax—outrageously tied to property values. Council has shifted from providing bins as a basic service to using it as a revenue stream to cover overheads.

We need to right-size the bin service, introduce practical solutions like community drop-off points for cardboard, glass, and FOGO, we should also consider revising the bin collection schedules to better serve areas with limited space, involve businesses where private collections are organised, to participate in ensuring the character of their streets.

Waste management should be about efficiency and environmental stewardship, not about council revenue.