Call to delay decision on former school site

A six month stay on rezoning and sale of the former Yarragon school site has been sought by Baw Baw Shire.

Council will write to two state government departments urging them to delay the rezoning and sale until council and the community could identify future plans for the site.

Council estimated this process would take at least six months.

The Fast Track Government Land Service has proposed to rezone the Rollo St land from public use to general residential, with the intention to sell the land. The land is currently owned by the Education and Training Department.

The government has recognised the site as “well suited to residential development.”

The report to council also said the proposal to rezone the land was consistent with the Yarragon Structure Plan which identified the land as residential.

The report said council expressed an interest in buying the land during the first right of refusal process.

But officers said the expression of interest was denied by the Treasury and Finance Department because there was no identified public use and therefore did not meet department policy or criteria.

If council wants to acquire the property, it will have to do so via a public tender or auction process at market price.

Yarragon resident Brian O’Rourke said he strongly opposed the rezoning.

“It is the only space where any community facilities could be built in the future. I can’t understand why the state government wants to zone it residential.

Mr O’Rourke said almost every resident in the Howard Park area opposed it as a site for the skatepark. “The old school site would be the perfect site for the skatepark.

Mr O’Rourke urged councillors not to support the officer’s recommendation to support the rezoning.

He said council needed to submit the land be maintained for public use and put out to the Yarragon community for discussion.

Cr Peter Kostos said there were a number of sites, that were either old schools or parcels of land, that council had the opportunity to purchase.

He said council wanted to have time to have discussions with the Yarragon community to identify potential uses for the site.

“I see this as a state government grab for money,” he said.

Cr Darren Wallace said the sites were valuable community spaces, just like the former Trafalgar school site was now a great open space for the community with Balfour Park.

“We can’t disregard the history of these sites and Yarragon could be an asset as well,” he said.