By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The State Government will seek to retain no public open space on the former Maralinga Primary School site in Keysborough, a state planning committee has heard.
And despite a public announcement in 2017, the future of adjoining parkland at Chandler Road Reserve has yet to be settled.
In a committee directions hearing on 10 February, the Government conceded that its majority portion of Chandler Road Reserve had not yet been leased to City of Greater Dandenong.
A 20-year-lease of the portion was still under discussion with the council, a lawyer for the Department of Treasury and Finance told the hearing.
The independent Government Land Standing Advisory Committee is hearing the Government’s proposed rezoning of the school site to housing.
The Government has deemed the land is surplus to educational and other public use.
Greater Dandenong Council’s lawyer Kristin Richardson sought a deferral of the upcoming 26 February hearing.
She argued that the public needed to know more details from the Government and time to respond prior the hearing.
For example, that after the 20-year proposed lease’s expiry, part of Chandler Road Reserve could be potentially developed.
More detail was also needed on the contamination risk from three underground petrol tanks removed from the school.
The Government had provided no reports on traffic impacts, noise levels from an adjoining industrial zone, and stormwater and drainage issues, Ms Richardson told the hearing.
“Council considers it is important for adjoining and nearby properties to have sufficient notice of all relevant material, and that any affected people have an opportunity to be heard in respect of the amended Amendment documentation and additional background reports, should they wish to do so,” Ms Richardson’s law firm Maddocks submitted in a letter before the hearing.
The treasury department lawyer argued against the need for further public exhibition.
Acoustic reports, stormwater management, traffic reports were not normally part of such a hearing. Some were normally considered at the later stage of a planning permit application.
She told the hearing the Government sought no public open space requirement on the school site.
It would also seek to include a “strip of land” connecting the reserve’s access roads at Maralinga Avenue and Mcmahen Street as part of its proposed Development Plan Overlay.
Resident Gaye Guest told the hearing that the school was still needed. There were many examples of schools being sold off when they were still required, she said.
She feared that without proper warning, “railroaded” residents were being unfairly deprived of public open space.
“Unfortunately too many school sites get built up to capacity without open space.
“It’s unfair to residents who want an educational site. It’s the most land-locked piece of land in Greater Dandenong.”
She said Greater Dandenong Council had already put a hold on Maralinga Community Garden setting up in Chandler Road Reserve due to doubts on available parkland.
Ms Guest warned of the impact of a potential through road between Maralinga Avenue and Mcmahen Road.
She said residents moved there in past decades because the original road network was designed to “stop traffic” through the estate.
Committee chair Annabel Paul said the issue of whether a primary school was still required was outside of the committee’s terms of reference.
The committee’s role was to consider the suitability of the proposed rezoning and development plan overlay.
Key issues raised by public submissions appeared to be increased traffic, removal of vegetation, neighbourhood character, the underground petrol tanks, Aboriginal and cultural sensitivities and stormwater, Ms Paul said.
Maralinga Primary School closed in 2014 – four years after merging with Chandler Park Primary School. Enrolments had declined to the point that the school was no longer viable, the department’s lawyer said.
At the same time, there was growth in demand for a school in the new estates in Keysborough South, she said.
Ms Paul said a decision on deferring the case would be made after the directions hearing.
