Brimbank council has passed up the opportunity to buy five former school sites from the state government.
The Education Department invited the council to buy the surplus sites before they were listed for sale.
They include Keilor Park Primary School, which closed in 2008; Calder Rise and Deer Park primary school, which closed in 2009; Kealba Secondary School, which closed in 2010; and land for a proposed school that was never built in McCubbin Drive, Sydenham North.
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A report to the council administrators last week found none of the sites was required for future open space or as a location for future community facilities, because of their proximity to existing open spaces.
The report said the sites were too far from transport, shops and other community facilities.
An Education Department report said it had a strategy to sell government land to encourage sensible redevelopment and new housing and employment opportunities. Brimbank open-space campaigner John Hedditch said the sale of the school sites would reduce long-term access to public open space.
The council has also confirmed it will not spend any more money on land at the former Sunvale Primary School site.
“It would have to be so cheap [to buy the rest of the land] a cheque wasn’t written,” chairman John Watson said.
As reported by the Weekly, the council bought a 1.1-hectare section for $3 million last month.
The Save Sunvale group claims the council declined an option to purchase the entire site, despite being offered a discounted price.
“The state government offer was for the whole site at public-use zone discounts but it had a repayment period of two years, which council couldn’t afford, so it rejected the residential portion,” Mr Hedditch said.
But council director of city development Stuart Menzies said there was no option to buy the entire site.
The residential zoned section is now up for sale.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy said a decision would be made soon.
