By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Fledgling community gardens have been stalled by Greater Dandenong Council after a “challenging” VCAT ruling and doubts on the future of Chandler Road Reserve.
Maralinga Community Garden (MCG) had been set to move into its digs at the reserve after securing $20,000 in council grants as a pilot project in Greater Dandenong.
MCG organiser Bryan Hunter said the council appeared to be “back-tracking” after the group had “jumped through all the hoops” for the past two years.
It had got incorporated, public liability insurance and submitting budgets and management plans as requested.
The community desire to garden intensified during Covid lockdown. But frustratingly, the project has “nothing to show for it”.
“We’re just awaiting approval to get started.”
A more informal community garden at Victoria Avenue Reserve, Springvale has also come to a halt.
Friends of Victoria Avenue Reserve organiser Zoe Mohl says the first bed of their “edible garden” had been built, but the council put a hold on further plots.
Led by the council’s parks department, the free garden had 160 Facebook members but no formal membership or incorporated committee.
It was designed so “anyone” could “rock up to the reserve”, to help plant native trees and garden produce.
“We don’t need any funds from the council, just an annual mulch drop,” Ms Mohl said.
“We were just getting started and then the brakes came on.”
Greater Dandenong is weighing up a VCAT decision in December that ruled against a community garden, water tank, shed and fencing in a Bayside Council reserve.
According to a council letter to MCG organisers, the decision presents a “challenge to us and other councils which provide space for community gardens”.
“This is going to mean planning permits (including advertising) being required each time a community garden is sought,” the council wrote.
There are also doubts over the future of public open space at Chandler Reserve and surrounds.
Councillors have been told of a potential backlash against MCG if most of the State-owned open space in the ex-Maralinga Primary School site and Chandler Reserve was lost.
The fenced-off community garden would take up more than half of the remaining Chandler Reserve.
According to recent community consultation, there is “strong support” for MCG – which also has 200 Facebook likes. About 20 surveyed residents were opposed or raised concerns.
Greater Dandenong city planning director Jody Bosman said the council was considering the impact of the VCAT decision on the establishment of new community gardens.
“The outcomes of this will form part of Council’s community gardens policy, which is currently under development.
“This new policy will then provide direction for the establishment of new community gardens.”
