Illoura

From the book A City Lost and Found: Whelan the Wrecker, one of the workers was quoted, and I paraphrase, 'The only building I really felt sad about destroying was Illoura'. Many of us are sad decades after the deed was done, 1964 being the year of demolition. 

The original Illoura. How could they!

A year or so after demolition, this abomination appeared. I took this photo mid twenty noughties. 

At some point it received a repaint, this being half way through the job. It certainly looked better in my opinion. And the new building Lucient beside it, replacing a three storey flat block, of no great merit. 

A few years ago there was a failed redevelopment plan. The painting as above became faded and dull. A few weeks ago mini diggers appeared on the roof and some works were happening. This week hoardings went up around the building. She is coming down. After a check, this is an artist's impression of what will replace the present Illoura Plaza. There wasn't a mention of a name for the new building. Exciting? Not at all. Boring as batshit. 

Growing the grass man

We have a lot of tall grass on what was once a beautiful boulevard where we live. The grass is very long. The road is under the control of VicRoads, our road authority but it did contract out the median strip maintenance to the City of Melbourne on its side of the street and City of Port Phillip on our side of the street. Something has happened and there seems to be a stand off between VicRoads and CoPP. That's all very well but the grass was last mowed roughly slashed by VicRoads in March. 

I have contacted VicRoads, our three ward councillors, a former and retiring state politician and our current local state politician. Only the retiring politician properly responded with some information about the situation. Absolutely nothing from our local councillors. I am a bit cross with them. I am a person of the written word, not the spoken, nevertheless I may well call their offices on the dreaded telephone machine. 

Photos tell the story. Would local councillors Marcus Pearl, Heather Consolo and Peter Martin tell me what is going on? 

What a disgrace. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands are being spent on the installation if separated bike lines, of which I do approve.