More than $30 million went into state government coffers last year from selling off surplus land in Brimbank, with five more sites facing the auctioneer’s hammer.
Figures from the state Department of Treasury and Finance reveal the state netted $23 million from selling the proposed Sydenham North Primary School site on Robertsons Road last October.
In Victoria, only the former Brandon Park Secondary College in Wheelers Hill fetched a higher sales figure last year, bringing in $47.5 million.
The state reaped more than $7.2 million from selling the former Sunvale Primary School site in two parts.
Surplus land sales have netted Brimbank council nearly $10 million in the past five years.
Figures obtained by Star Weekly reveal that the council sold six parcels of land across the city between the 2009-10 and 2013-14 financial years for a total $9,792,500.
The former Liberal state government was preparing to sell the former Calder Rise and Keilor Park primary schools sites, the Kealba secondary college site and the former Western autism school site in two parts before it was ousted in the November election.
State Education Department spokesman Simon Craig said the department was advising the new Labor government on the status of these former Brimbank school sites.
If the Labor government goes ahead with selling the sites, each will be assessed for market readiness and may be subject to rezoning before being sold, according to the Department of Treasury and Finance.
That process could take several years.
The department offered to sell the sites to Brimbank council last year, but administrators voted against the purchase.
Keilor resident Virginia Tachos said she was worried the land would be bought by developers who would want to build units or townhouses.
Ms Tachos believes the sites should be used for parkland, technical schools and other community uses, and is particularly keen to see the former Calder Rise site turned into a cricket ground for Keilor Cricket Club juniors.
She said selling the sites would be a “short- sighted” decision considering the growth in the area and corresponding demand for more public primary and secondary schools.
She said she felt it was a case of land being sold to “plug the budget hole”.
“We feel like it’s land that’s really valuable, and to sell it would close a lot of opportunities for the community.”
