By CASEY NEILL
SPRINGVALE residents are speaking out in a desperate bid to save scarce open space.
Save Glendale Reserve spokesman Mark Dalton said he was receiving increasing support for the campaign against a City of Greater Dandenong proposal to sell part of the parkland.
Councillors in January released for public consultation the plan to sell 75a Whitworth Avenue to Minaret College for $1.15 million to build a new kindergarten.
The school leases a dilapidated kinder on the land but plans to end its tenure this year and leave the building vacant.
Mr Dalton wants the council to keep the land and demolish the kinder to create more open space.
“Springvale has only a third of the amount of open space of other parts of Greater Dandenong,” he said.
“This park is popular with local families we need to preserve the public land around it for future generations.”
Mr Dalton said it was important for residents to have their say on the proposed sale and urged them to send a submission to the council before 5pm on Monday 8 June.
South Eastern Metropolitan Greens MP Nina Springle said the council should hold onto the land for the benefit of future generations.
“As the housing density of this area becomes greater the need for open space will only increase,” she said.
Ms Springle said there was about 3.6 hectares of public open space per 1000 people in Greater Dandenong, compared to between five and 10 hectares in most other local government areas.
“A large part of Ericksen Gardens was sold in the mid-2000s to build the new Springvale Police Station, but Greater Dandenong never fulfilled its promise to purchase replacement land,” she said.
“This is despite its own Open Space Strategy identifying that Springvale has a third of the open space it needs.”
Ms Springle in parliament last week asked Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins why the State Government was allowing the council to sell open space in areas like Springvale without requiring it to purchase replacement open space in the immediate area.
She said there were currently no State Government imposed minimum requirements or targets for publicly-accessible open space in each local government area.
Ms Springle posted a link for objections on her website www.ninaspringle.com.au/save_glendale.
Mr Dalton invited residents who were interested in supporting the campaign to call him on 0468 459 591.
