DAILY PLANET cafe has closed after a bumpy couple of years.
The place had picked up its game big time after copping a hammering in the early days with brutal reviews on sites like Urban Spoon.
Weeks after opening the placed close temporarily with an apology on the door, promising to reopen soon with better service. When the Voice went back for a review in mid-2012 the place was top-notch.
We weren’t able to get in touch with Planet head honcho Haydn Robinson this week but we know the place changed management again recently, and closed down about a month after that.
The rest of the Planet operation is still running, and word is there’ll be a new Planet venture in the cafe spot soon.
HAVING recently sent a letter to one of its own carparks asking what it thought of a new project, Vincent council is tightening up community consultation.
Other failures have also highlighted the need for reform: Cr Emma Cole ran for council to improve the process after being told about a development near her just four days before it was approved. In another case neighbours next door to a big project on Fitzgerald Street, approved by the development assessment panel, weren’t asked what they thought.
“There has been complaints from the residents about the community consultation,” mayor John Carey concedes.
Under the new system everyone within 150m of a big project might be sent a letter.
• New Vincent CEO Len Kosova with mayor John Carey and the city’s councillors. (From left—Emma Cole, Julia Wilcox, John Pintabona, Len Kosova, John Carey, Laine McDonald, James Peart, Ros Harley, Matt Buckels, Josh Topelberg). Photo by David Bell
VINCENT’S new CEO is 38-year-old Len Kosova, formerly planning director at Wanneroo city council.
He was unanimously approved by councillors Tuesday night, with even John Pintabona (the only councillor who’d wanted to keep John Giorgi) agreeing he was the right man for the job. “We had 53 candidates but in the end we were blown away by Len’s interview,” mayor John Carey said.
Energy
“Len stood out for his energy, his expertise and his record of creating change in the Wanneroo planning section.”
Mr Kosova says he wants to focus on consistent decisions and advice, an area the council’s been criticised for lately by discontented residents in the public gallery: “Anyone should be able to ask anyone in the department a question and get the same answer,” Mr Kosova says. “The answer shouldn’t vary by person.”
With his background, the council will be hoping Mr Kosova can sort out problems in Vincent’s planning department.
With Mr Kosova on board and new planning director Gabriela Poezyn recently installed in the long-vacant role (poached from Nedlands), Mr Carey hopes the area will improve.
The new CEO is also keen on cutting down on bureaucratic language in material sent to ratepayers.
Mr Kosova did not seem fazed by impending mergers, due to kick off midway next year if the premier sticks to his plans.
“It’s just part of the business for councils affected by local government reform processes,” he says.
Mr Kosova starts at Vincent as soon as the loose ends at Wanneroo are tied up.
•Artists Mel McVee and Fieldey (back) with Beaufort Street Network’s Dean Cracknell. Photo by Matthew Dwyer
STREET artists are banding together to spruce up tired old laneways around town.
The idea came from mural artist Mel McVee, who’s painted the Beaufort Street chihuahua, the Leake Street Mr Spaghetti Arms and the Leederville loo mural.
Ms McVee got the idea after painting a piece in the Grosvenor Road laneway in concert with the owner. When a bunch of other landowners asked her to paint their properties too, the light bulb went off.
The project will start out with 20 artists painting laneways off Grosvenor Road and Moir Street (with owner permission).
“We want the owner to love the piece, so you don’t get something that they’re not going to enjoy,” she says.
Artists Stormie Mills, Fieldey, and Yok and Sheryo are already keen to get involved.
“For people like me who are just getting into murals, it’s a great opportunity,” Fieldey says.
Ms McVee says the murals will deter taggers from creeping around alleys and may cut down on other scurrilous acts.
The materials can be pricey for a big mural, so Ms McVee is looking for sponsorship to help cover costs. Vincentdeputy mayor Ros Harley has moved a motion for the council to investigate funding it.
“We do have a lot of laneways in the city of Vincent which are pretty ordinary to go down,” she says. “The murals make them a more pleasant place to go down than the usual reasons people go down a laneway.”
• Public artwork chosen for Seventh Avenue bridge in Maylands. Photo supplied
THIS is an artist’s impression of the $85,000 public artwork chosen for the new Seventh Avenue bridge in Maylands.
The work will be made using jarrah from the old 1913 Seventh Avenue bridge, which is being demolished to make way for its $9.3 million successor.
The blurb describes the artwork as “essentially an abstract deconstruction of the original bridge’s structural aesthetic”.
It also mentions a “nostalgic connection” and “human vulnerability”.
The original timber trestle and deck bridge was used to carry horses and carts, vehicles and pedestrians over the railway line.
The replacement will span more than 80 metres and include footpaths, space for four lines, bridge guard rails and increased capacity.
Bayswater city council and local community groups were asked to select a public artwork that commemorates the bridge’s historic past.
“We surveyed the community on what they would like to see in the artwork and then conveyed that to the artists,” says Anne Goodall, founder of Creative Maylands.
“We ended up selecting the winner from a shortlist of three.”
Main Roads media advisor Dean Roberts says most of the good quality timber from the old bridge will be salvaged for the artwork.
“Main Roads also plans to salvage some of the timbers and barriers for maintenance purposes at other similar bridge locations,” he says.
“Any remaining material will become the property of the demolition contractor and is likely to be taken to a salvage yard.”
The Voice understands there was a break-in attempt on the small onsite office at the bridge, but nothing was stolen.
The contractor and Main Roads have since beefed up security with extra fencing and lights. The new bridge is estimated to be ready next May.
STIRLING city council will spend $12 million to move to a three-bin collection by July 2015, with ratepayers slugged an extra $37 per year to pay for it.
The council was forced to abandon its single-bin system after the Atlas recycling facility in Mirrabooka unexpectedly closed last August.
The facility had achieved a 65 per cent recycling rate over 10 years, from just one kerbside bin.
Since the plant’s closure the council has recycled virtually none of its kerbside waste, dumping nearly 7000 tonnes of rubbish in landfill every month (Voice, May 3, 2014).
“Our recycling record hasn’t been good over the last six months, largely due to matters out with our control,” Cr David Michael concedes.
Under the new system, households will receive a 140-litre red-lid general waste bin, a 240-litre yellow-lid bin for co-mingled recyclables and a 240-litre lime-lid bin for green waste. Red bins will be collected weekly and the yellow and lime bins on alternate fortnights.
Stirling mayor Giovanni Italiano says the council’s track record on recycling waste, prior to the closure of the Atlas facility, was recognised as one of the best in WA.
“While we are keen to see the new system in place as soon as possible, the acquisition process will mean the three-bin system will be introduced next year,” he says.
“If the new bins are used appropriately we will not only see an increase in the amount of waste recycled but also a reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill, which will in turn reduce costs for our ratepayers.”
Between 72 and 84 per cent of ratepayers surveyed were in favour of switching to the multiple bin system.
STIRLING city council will replace its bulk verge collection for residential properties with an on-demand skip bin service by July 2015.
It will cost ratepayers an extra $27 per year.
The council came under fire last year when it switched to one annual verge collection, resulting in a slow pick-up and piles of trash sitting on verges for weeks.
The council will also, “as soon as practicable”, move to a nine-month cycle for bulk green waste collection.
The introduction of an on-demand skip is part of a wide range of rubbish collection changes by the council, including the move to a three-bin system.
Residents will be advised of the changes via a mail-out.
“We copped some flak last time because we didn’t inform the community about the switch to one annual verge collection, so I’m glad this time we’ll be doing that,” Cr Stephanie Proud said.
Tip passes and a recycling guide will be included with rate notices, after Cr Terry Tyzack raised concerns they might otherwise get accidentally binned with junk mail.
A review on the skip bin service, including an option to provide more than one per year, will be presented to council.
• Michelle and Patrick Miller beside art by Sioux Tempestt. Photo by Matthew Dwyer
A MAYLANDS architect is letting fledgling artists show off their work in his shop window for free.
Patrick Miller, who owns Finespun on Railway Parade, says artists get great exposure in his shopfront as trains crawl out of Maylands station.
He lets artists display for three-month stints and plans to expand the scheme to include installation art, video and sound.
The window has already featured a giant fish by Amok Island and a dribbling portrait of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke by Sioux Tempestt.
“I am a big fan of art and I thought it would be a great way to showcase emerging artists who maybe haven’t reached the big time yet,” says Miller.
“Maylands is really taking off and I wanted to contribute to its success by supporting the local art scene.”
Originally from Melbourne, Miller has designed several high-profile bars and cafes in Perth, including Mechanics’ Institute Bar, Solomon’s Cafe and Mrs Brown.
“Maylands is really taking off and I wanted to contribute to its success by supporting the local art scene.”
After working out of a garage in his Maylands’ home, he moved into the stylish Railway Parade premises in mid-2012.
“I really felt like Maylands was the place to be and locate my business—there is a real sense that this place is taking off,” he says.
His claims are backed up by the success of several local “hip” businesses, including the Swallow Bar, Mrs S Cafe, the planned million-dollar Lyric Lane music venue on Guildford Road, and The Maylands Markets.
Creative Maylands founder Anne Goodall says the suburb’s diversity makes it exciting.
“I guess it’s that mix of creativity and grit,” she says.
“We have a wide range of people living here and that makes for a creative environment.
“The house prices are slightly more affordable, compared to the inner-city, so that has helped as well.”
• The North Perth fire brigade and firies at the old Forrest Street station in 1912.
LOCAL firefighter Andrew Duckworth has been researching the history of the North Perth fire brigade, uncovering stories of daring rescues and non-existent occupational health and safety standards in the early 1900s.
Mr Duckworth, who’s been in the fire brigade since 1994, had never been particularly into history until his union bought the old North Perth fire station to use as offices.
He volunteered to check out the Forrest Street building’s past, and four years later he’s unearthed a trove of tales about the hardships early firies faced.
“All the things that a modern fire brigade has weren’t around in those days,” the Leederville local says, “so their effectiveness was limited to water buckets and sand and beaters.
“There were no fire hydrants in the suburb and the water supply was limited to rainwater tanks and dams.
“In the early days they were on foot up until 1913 when they got their first motorised appliance, and prior to that they were running around dragging a little firecart behind them.”
They also didn’t have breathing apparatuses until the 1940s, so they would run into smoky buildings with nothing but a wet hanky over the mouth.
Despite getting around on foot and lugging buckets of sand around, they managed plenty of heroic endeavours, like the rescue of Eliza Lockyer in 1907.
“Eliza Lockyer was a woman who came from England as an 18-year-old girl, and shortly after arriving in the early 1860s she married an ex-convict and had children fairly quickly after that,” he says.
“Her life went from one disaster to another. It culminated in her attempting suicide in jumping down a well on Pansy Street in North Perth.
“She set her house on fire and jumped down the well, and was subsequently rescued by [Captain] Fred Maller and a fireman from Perth called Andrew Robertson, and a first police constable James Strapp.”
The well had just 18 inches of water according to the old paper reports, and after a 60-foot drop Ms Lockyer broke both her legs. The three men struggled to bring up her 100kg weight, and would likely have needed a horse to pull her clear.
The men were given gold medals by the council, while Ms Lockyer died a few days later.
“She was making her recovery in hospital until they told her they had to amputate her legs, and then she went downhill.
“She wanted to be left to die.”
While horses aren’t usually used in rescues these days, some things haven’t changed, Mr Duckworth says.
“A lot of the methods they used then, we still use. We’re basically putting water on fire, so that’s not changed a great deal,” he laughs.
Mr Duckworth will share his tales of the history of the North Perth fire brigade at the local history centre at Vincent Library, 99 Loftus Street, on June 11 at 10am, it’s free and book on 9273 6534. He’s tracked down the families of the men involved in the rescue, and two will be bringing down the medals on the day, reuniting them for the first time in a century.
A PLAN to help address long-standing antisocial behaviour at Wellington Square has been approved by Perth city council, but it points out the bulk of issues are in the WA government’s domain.
The PCC is responding to a recent petition from residents of the Rise apartments on Wellington Street, but the complaints aren’t new.
Locals have been concerned about drinking and biffo in the park for more than a century: as far back as 1910 the council wrote to the commissioner of police calling for more patrols.
PCC city services director Garry Dunne told a council committee many people sleeping in Wellington Square are from the country, visiting for dialysis at nearby Royal Perth Hospital.
Some don’t have accommodation, or the rooms they do line up aren’t culturally appropriate for Aboriginal people, or can’t fit all the family members they’ve brought down for support.
Aboriginal people have been camping in the area for aeons, long before the English came along to cover the fertile swamplands with asphalt and brick.
The lakes were drained in the 1830s and later named for the Duke of Wellington, a leading 19th century military and political figure. It has been the site of a horse recreation grounds, cricket games, football, rugby, and fighting.
But the history’s of little interest for surrounding residents who’ve sunk their dollars into mortgages and rent. They complain of yelling, drinking, violence and rubbish in the park, some of it caught on camera.
With the nearby lodging house Jewell House soon to close, cheap accommodation options will further dwindle. The WA health department has moved the YMCA out saying the building is 40 years old and has reached the end of its useful life (a sentiment shared by a Trip Advisor traveller commenting “I no longer fear hell”, noting the place “has the homely feel of a third world prison, and the comfort and charm of a spade to the head”).
The PCC wants a review into the state government’s patient-assistant travel scheme to ensure Aboriginal patients and their families are provided with culturally-appropriate accommodation and are “supported in using this housing” instead of heading to the park.
The PCC will also ask the state to fund a night shelter for people who continue to sleep rough in the parks, and more funding for day services like Tranby Day Centre to extend hours into the night (which worked well during CHOGM).
Acting lord mayor Rob Butler says looking to the state “is not a handballing exercise, this is a partnership”.
Cr Judy McEvoy says “we’re not police and we can’t solve it”.
For its part, the PCC will look at re-engaging the Nyoongar Patrol or a similar service to help people in the park.
It stopped funding the patrol years ago “due to concerns mainly about their effectiveness in Northbridge”, but Mr Dunne concedes it had done a good job in the parks.
The council will also consider gating off the troublesome right-of-way coming off Bishops Row, locking it at night, and start working on a masterplan for the square.
Meanwhile another petition with 476 signatories is doing the rounds asking authorities to “clean up Wellington Square,” aka “move the homeless please”.
DAILY PLANET cafe has closed after a bumpy couple of years.
Perth Voice Interactive 