Meet the Lennox Candidates 2024

1. Please introduce yourself. Who are you? What is your connection to Lennox?

I’m John, a journalist, small business owner and Richmond local for the past 15 years. Like many in 3121, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the way Yarra Council has been run in recent years. During my time living in Cremorne & Richmond, I have witnessed, first hand, the area’s gradual decline, which deeply concerns me. I believe the current elected officials are out of touch with residents, and unable to implement the essential changes that Yarra needs. This is precisely why I have decided to run for the Lennox Ward seat. I do not represent any political party, and I believe that is exactly what Yarra needs right now. A voice for the public, not another mouthpiece for the public sector.

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

Cremorne is a unique area where more than 50 percent of daily commuters don’t live there. As a result we see increased traffic and battles for car parking between 9-5, before things quieten down. I think to solve the issues, we need to encourage more of that 50 percent to leave their cars at home and ride, walk, or catch public transport to work. The best way to do this is by making the area more appetising to do so, and here are three ways of doing this:

1 – Make the roads and footpaths better. At the moment there are potholes and uneven surfaces all over Cremorne. We need to address this urgently and get the council to do more quality control of repair works, as the surfaces are getting worse, not better. 

2 – Connect Cremorrne to the Yarra bike track. At the moment it’s a struggle to get from Crorone to the bike track along the river. Let’s aim to make a bridge or a tunnel that can directly connect to it to make it more accessible for bike riders and those walking.

3 – Limit the amount of construction works that are taking place in Cremorne. Let’s impose a limit on how many can take place at any given time and pressure the council to coordinate them better.

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

We have some of the best innovate and creative thinkers in Cremorne. Let’s tap into their minds and get community consultation for ideas. Pocket parks are great but they simply aren’t big enough for what Cremorne deserves. Let’s think about ways to create some rooftop public spaces on future developments, or floating open public spaces on the Yarra River. Let’s try to come up with some innovative ideas that compliment the creative growth of Cremorne and add to the unique history we have created thus far.

4. 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? 

The tensions are obvious: Noise, disruptions, loss of car parks and reduced views and amount of sunlight. We need to make future developments enticing for residents. Residents may be more happy to see a future development go ahead if it offers something for the public like new cafes, hairdressers, a gym etc. Or if it offers an open public space on the rooftop. We need to ensure future developments offer something for the community, and not just an office space that is abandoned outside of the 9-5 work day.

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

The two main areas I would prioritise are connecting Cremorne to the Yarra, and protecting the existing residential areas in Cremorne as much as possible.

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

Yes. Firstly, let’s change the collection day to any day other than Monday. We know too many apartment buildings and businesses put their bins out on Friday, and as a result, hundreds of bins are left on the streets over the weekend. Let’s change the collection day to reduce this issue. In addition, let’s reduce the amount of bins we have and look at community bin areas for things like FOGO. 4 bins simply don’t fit in some of the houses in Cremorne and council is ignoring the community feedback on this issue. We must also look at scrapping the new bin tax brought in over the past year.