By Ewen McRae
A proposal to re-zone a section of open parkland in Melton South to allow for community care accommodation is set to come to a head at next week’s council meeting.
Melton council earlier this year received a request from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to rezone roughly one-third of the parkland at 3–13 McDonald Street, Melton South, to allow for the accommodation, with a final decision to made following community consultation.
The park is currently used as open recreation space, with a playground on the site removed several years ago.
A concerned resident, who did not wish to be named, said the nearby residents were in uproar over the proposal.
“Nobody here wants this land to go,” they said. “The land was vested to the council over 40 years ago, and now they’re looking at selling it for a profit.
“My kids played in that park, my grand kids play in that park, I can see kids playing in it now, so to say it doesn’t get used is just wrong.”
Council chief executive Kelvin Tori said 13 community submissions had been received about the proposal, and would help inform council’s decision.
“The proposal is to change about one third of the park from reserve status,” Mr Tori said.
“This is the first stage in a statutory process required for a development proposed by the DHHS. Any changes to the planning zone or consideration of a development proposal are subject to a separate process under the Planning and Environment Act.
“The wide-ranging needs of Melton’s diverse community are very important to council and are a constant consideration in council’s decision-making.”
While several community members asked for the decision to be delayed until the August council meeting in Melton, the matter will be on the agenda for the July 22 meeting at Burnside Community Centre.
