Community slams City of Port Phillip Council over contentious public seating proposal
An inner southeastern council has voted on a controversial public seating plan, which community fears will increase already rife violent crime.
Inner South
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An inner-city council voted on a contentious public seating proposal after it sparked public outrage among traders, residents and the cops.
Passionate Fitzroy St community members from St Kilda attended the Port Phillip Council meeting on Wednesday night in droves to have their voices heard over a public seating proposal that could see the increase in already rising crime rates.
The community vehemently opposed the council’s proposal to add further public seating along the Fitzroy St retail and residential strip, as CCTV footage reveals the dangerous behaviour already occurring in the area.
The controversial proposal would see 10 new public seating installed along the strip between The Esplanade and Grey St, and further between Grey St and St Kilda Rd.
After getting into the community to speak with traders and residents, Councillor Christina Sirakoff said most people she spoke to “were not supportive of the seating”.
“I think we should listen to the requests of the community, our residents, our traders and our police,” she said.
The council voted unanimously to install nine new seating spots, rather than the initially proposed 10, with notorious crime hotspot seating to also be removed.
The pictured proposal was inserted into the July 17 agenda ahead of the Wednesday night meeting, accompanied with a quote of apparent support of local police, who only opposed seating outside specific businesses – 77 Fitzroy St and 121 Fitzroy St.
However, in emails seen by the Herald Sun, two police members have written to the council on separate occasions opposing the entire proposal and further, requesting the removal of pre-existing ‘red mushroom seats’.
CCTV footage of the mushroom seats shows images of anti-social behaviour, including loitering, drug paraphernalia and weapons, demonstrating behaviour which traders and residents say is already rife along the street.
Owner of Care More Bain & Co Pharmacy Charlotte Frajman said in 34 years of owning her business, she has never been more scared than now.
“We lived through the worst of Gatwick House, and not once was I scared,” she said.
“Everyday for the last two years we have lived in terror.”
Ms Frajman and her husband have both been assaulted and threatened by local alleged drug dealers, forcing them to take out intervention orders.
“We call the police at least seven times a day,” she said.
“They might attend once every five calls.”
Similar development along Fitzroy St has previously caused ire with the community when a public toilet block was proposed outside the St Kilda Park Primary School.
The public toilet proposal was ultimately rejected due to community backlash.
Middle Park resident Adrian King said the behaviour that will follow the installation of the seats will take up more of the already overwhelmed police resources in the bayside area.
“I frequent St Kilda daily and there is no healthy St Kilda without a healthy Fitzroy St,” he said.
“St Kilda is the centre of the municipality. Police resources are finite, St Kilda’s problem is Middle Park’s problem, Elwood’s problem, South Melbourne’s problem.”
“The challenge requires a collaborative and sustained approach, with joint ownership of the issue – council, police, other support agencies and the community.”
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