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Locals unhappy The Block is moving in

Albert Park residents think there is one rule for them and another for The Block when it comes to dealing with the local council.

2013-08-03_2316Albert Park residents who are neighbours to the next site for The Block have suggested there is one rule for them and another for the Nine series when it comes to dealing with the local council.

Some locals aren’t happy the show is already ramping up in O’Grady Street, Albert Park, with builders prepping a fine brick warehouse for its transformation into four luxury apartments.

”There’s already tourists coming through and parking … If you walk down the street now there is no parking because there are construction vehicles everywhere,” Greg Sebire told The Age.

He put a petition to the City of Port Phillip asking for a residents-only parking zone and was told he will have to wait months for the result. Another said it had taken him two months to get approval to have his front fence painted in the strict heritage neighbourhood.

But a work zone has being swiftly set up for the builders.

The Block is getting underway for the third time in the City of Port Philip, enjoying close ties with the local council.

Mayor Amanda Stevens said, ”Throughout the season we will have ongoing contact with our community and the crew from The Block to ensure that our residents are considered every step of the way and that their building activities comply with local law.”

Stevens has previously said council was a big supporter of The Block: Skyhigh.

Watercress Productions paid $5.9 million for 47 O’Grady Street in June after Council and residents had fought against the previous owner who planned to turn the buildings into six apartments, but they lost the VCAT hearing.

The Nine show has a long history of dealing with residents and councils, dating back to its first season in 2003.

Producer Julian Cress told locals if they supported the show they would scale back the original proposal from six to four apartments.

”The neighbours that we met fully supported our new plans and said this was a blessing for us because they were afraid whoever bought the building would just approve [the old plans],” he said.

6 Responses

  1. Construction permits are temporary and done quickly. Resident zones are permanent and go through due process.

    No conspiracy theories there. Construction zones and parking problems will happen whomever is building. They have been building a large nursing home across the road from us and parking has been a nightmare for 6 months. The TV show aspect will just make it a bit worse.

  2. Of course the council will be in a rush to support The Block over the current residents concerns and submissions. The Block will bring in increased yearly council rates, trade for local businesses, food outlets, suppliers and tradies, including the product placement stores or ‘Sponsor’ stores. Plus there would also be revenue from filming costs in the area, fines for breaches of noise pollution, car parking, etc. It’s a complete win for the council, and in the long run, potentially the residents if the council puts this income back into the local community. It will also raise the ceiling price for local property, hopefully pushing existing residents to update their own homes.

  3. I don’t think they block off the street, they do have stop / slow people for deliveries, which is wise. Sure they seem to take up a lot of room, but have you been to a building site? They always do. House Rules looked like they took up most streets they filmed in too. In fact from what I saw it looked a little more chaotic, but I suppose they had a tighter turnaround.

  4. That’s the side you never see. When they did All Stars in Bondi and I found out it was Tasman Street I thought the residents would have nowhere to park. If you notice their little game where they keep giving the contestants different models from the car sponsor, it looks like they have obviously been able to block off the street just for the contestant cars, let alone production, etc, then th trades and deliveries. You wouldn’t want to be living in the street and working from home.

  5. I don’t blame them for being unhappy, every year I say ‘I’d hate to live in that street!’ It would be a nightmare to live with all that noise and traffic for months on end.

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