Wednesday, 17 January, 2024
pakenham.starcommunity.com.au
/PakenhamBerwickGazette
Hundreds attend Rob Porter funeral service
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A Bright start for the Demons SPORT
PAGES 18-19
Road debacle
Thieves hit little athletics
Hobson Road is still the site of an ongoing dispute as a small stretch of road is still yet to be paved, due to the matter being caught between an extended approval process from the State Government. The stretch of McGregor, Soldiers and Hobson Road was paved in late 2022, yet a small section on Hobson Road remains a dirt track because it runs over a water pipeline from Wonthaggi’s Desalination Plant, which the council can only work on with permission from the State Government and pipeline operator. With this part of the road still unchanged after so much time, local Max Hobson has labelled the situation ’diabolical’. STORY PAGE 4
Pakenham Little Athletics Centre (PLAC) has been buglarised by no-good thieves after only a few short months at their brand new track, forcing them to sadly cancel events for one of their busiest times of the year. They had an estimated $17,000 worth in vital equipment stolen from their storage at IYU Recreational Reserve. To make sure their little athletes can still enjoy a summer of sport they are appealing for the community to help in any way they can. STORY PAGE 2
Recycling a hit
Committee members and parents at the club’s containers. From left: Canteen Manager Trish Piccolo, Kirsty Gardiner, Secretary Bel Wouters, Felicia Brown, Computer Coordinator Kez Luxford, Head Coach Nick Coombe, Vice President Luke Copley, Treasurer Renee Coombe. 383366 Picture: LJUBICA VRANKOVIC
Pakenham’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) depot has been the third most popular collection spot in metropolitan Melbourne and the seventh most popular state-wide since the scheme launched last November, returning more than $200,000 back into locals’ pockets, according to the latest VicReturn statistics. As of Thursday 11 January, more than two million container returns have made their way through refund points in Pakenham, including 1.99 million at Return-It’s Pakenham depot, about 125,000 at Cardinia Club’s Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) and about 21,000 across Pakenham’s two over-the-counter collection points at BP Pakenham and Bottlemart Pakenham. STORY PAGE 8
Precinct in limbo By Matthew Sims
we obtained all planning and building permits , leased 80 per cent of the retail centre to major national retailers, relocated existing retailers, appointed a builder and commenced demolition in accordance to the approved plans,“ he said. “Works ceased as the VHBA acquired a major part of the land which rendered all plans, permits and leases redundant, as the VHBA
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proposal is to build on land which was proposed for retail parking for the centre. “The current VHBA proposal has access issues and insufficient parking spaces for their use and the VHBA is relying on overflow carparking to occur at the retail centre, which impose restrictions on the future development of the centre.“ STORY PAGE 3
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Ongoing negotiations between the developers of the Pakenham Place Shopping Centre and the proposed community hospital has left the proposed developments of the retail precinct in limbo, according to a director overseeing the proposed development of the shopping centre. Managed by Monash Health, the Pakenham
Community Hospital would be a small public hospital providing a range of services. However, Banco Group director Mario LoGiudice said there were still issues with how the Victorian Health Building Authority’s (VHBA) plans for the hospital would co-exist with the precinct’s retail plans. “After working in close co-operation with the council, community and national retailers,