By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A council-owned house in Dandenong will make way for a car park despite a plea to retain it for crisis accommodation.
Greater Dandenong Council has allocated $80,000 in its 2020-’21 draft budget to demolish the three-bedroom brick house in Stuart Street for temporary overflow parking near Dandenong Market.
Cr Peter Brown made a late bid to save the building for a “destitute family” of up to six people in the short-term.
“We are looking to build a few car parking spaces where a perfectly immediately-habitable home is currently standing next to a plethora of parking.
“I could not help but feel it would be a terrible decision of this council to knock it over for a few parking spaces when we are looking at a housing crisis for many people as a result of the economic meltdown caused by the coronavirus bomb.”
He said the property – part of a 200-metre stretch of adjacent blocks on the street’s east side – was being land-banked by the council for a project. But that was at least five years away.
“It’s a lovely brick house. It’s about the only house left standing in the street.”
Mayor Jim Memeti said Cr Brown’s idea had come too late.
The house’s utility services had been already disconnected, plus there was an unknown cost to make disability-access modifications for crisis accommodation.
“The council has already made a decision to knock it down. It’s ready for demolition.”
Cr Memeti said the parking spaces were necessary, adding to the council’s temporary overflow parking lots on Stuart Street.
The council had yet to decide the long-term future for the central Dandenong properties, he said.
“It’s a huge pocket of land and a huge asset for the council. It’s not in the council’s five-to-10 year strategy.
“It could be anything the community wants.”
Meanwhile, Cr Brown said the service-reconnection and modifications would cost less than the demolition.
“Why spend more just to knock it over?”
