Hall heritage move

By Sarah Schwager
THE Springvale Town Hall has been thrown a lifeline after Greater Dandenong Council voted to take all necessary steps to secure heritage listing.
The motion brought councillors to their feet at the council meeting on Monday, eventually ending in a six-four vote in favour of permanently retaining the building.
The motion was moved by Springvale Ward councillor Youhorn Chea who has been lobbying for the hall to be heritage-listed since his re-election.
Cr Chea said saving the town hall had been one of the key concerns for Springvale residents in the November election and since then 2000 residents had expressed their support.
But Springvale South Ward councillor Yvonne Herring said she wanted to see Springvale’s Master Plan before making a decision.
“Springvale residents should have a say on this big decision,” she said.
“If we don’t like the Master Plan we can go back to this motion for heritage listing.
“But once it is listed it’s too late, we can’t do anything.”
Dandenong North Ward councillor John Kelly also said he would like to see what other options were available for the town hall before making a decision.
Cr Kelly said the hall could possibly be used to house a range of better facilities for residents.
“Here is an opportunity to do something fantastic for Springvale,” he said.
But Noble Park North councillor Maria Sampey highlighted the high number of petitions received by residents to save the town hall, with another coming before the council on Monday.