Local council
Hedge fund: Eastern suburbs property owners pay for footpath takeover
Long-standing feuds between hedge lovers and neighbours fed up with conifers encroaching on footpaths are being tackled with a creative solution.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Latest
They call it ‘MoPo’: Dame Edna’s hidden gem of the north is changing
Even the concreted-over creek is being brought back to life as Moonee Ponds ascends into the sky.
- by Rachael Dexter
The two suburbs due to lose 15 MCGs of open space to Victoria’s Big Build
A Melbourne mayor has warned the Victorian government, “you can’t just take, you have to give something back”, as Big Build projects gobble up suburban parklands.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Sex appeal: Epic adult industry court case set for another round
The owner of the Maxine’s strip club has warned that a legal battle against an estranged former business partner may not be over yet.
- by Noel Towell and Colin Kruger
Greenline project’s future in doubt as council funding dries up
The City of Melbourne on Tuesday unveiled its $781 million draft budget, which crept into surplus for the first time in five years.
- by Cara Waters and Sophie Aubrey
When is a room a studio apartment? The ruling upending boarding houses
Boarding houses should be allowed to have kitchenettes in tenants’ rooms, the opposition argues, as the housing crisis pushes more people into the shared-home set-ups.
- by Rachael Dexter
Drivers are ‘fighting in the streets’ over a lack of parking spaces
Harriet has to move her car every two hours because her apartment complex doesn’t have enough parking spaces. She’s facing thousands of dollars in fines.
- by Sophie Aubrey
The battle against the apps and algorithms driving suburban rat-runs
Motorists are increasingly clogging up residential streets, directed by GPS apps such as Google Maps – all to save a few minutes.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Exclusive
For subscribers
Course for councillors in spotting conspiracies in the misinformation age
Councillors and candidates can get training on dealing with conspiracy groups who bombard them with theories about 5G towers and 15-minute cities in the lead-up to October’s local government elections.
- by Rachael Dexter
Exclusive
Planning
Councils not the housing villain as developers shelve construction
Property developers and builders opted not to press ahead with a record number of units in the last five years – despite them being approved by councils.
- by Josh Gordon, Royce Millar and Kieran Rooney
Exclusive
Greens
Greens councillors tear up membership, slam leadership over ‘surveillance, disinformation, fear’
Two more councillors have quit the Victorian Greens – and up to five more are tipped to soon follow suit – as a broader internal dispute threatens to split the party.
- by Annika Smethurst