Brooklyn Reserve has a new play space partly funded by a fine collected from a business prosecuted by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
Brooklyn meat rendering company, Australian Tallow Producers was ordered to pay $1million in fines and costs after being convicted of emitting a “rotting carcass smell” from its site three times in 2011.
That included $200,000 to be paid to Hobsons Bay council for a community environmental project.
The council matched the funding and created a play space in Nolan Avenue, which officially opened this month.
Hobsons Bay mayor Sandra Wilson said the space, which includes a flower pod spinner and six-metre high climber, had been developed with community feedback.
“As part of the project, we received feedback from over 60 members of the community about what they would like to see in the play space and the reserve in general,” she said.
“The process included consultation with around 20 ‘play-space testers’ from Annunciation Primary School, who visited other play spaces in Hobsons Bay to provide feedback on what they liked or disliked.”
EPA chief executive Nial Finegan said the company’s fine was one of the biggest collected under the Inspiring Environmental Solutions (IES) scheme.
“EPA sees the IES program as a valuable tool and good example of how EPA works with communities to help inspire environmental citizenship and protect their local environment through projects to which we can financially contribute.”
