By Prealene Khera
Millions of dollars could be freed up for local projects greatly needed by the community if Brimbank council decided to consolidate two of its depots into one site, according to a proposal put forward by the Brimbank Progress Association.
Currently, council’s maintenance and service staff work out of two depots in Keilor Park and Sunshine.
According to association president and former Brimbank mayor Bruce Lancashire, these depots are no longer fit for purpose, are poorly located and not appropriate for usage.
“They’ve been around a long time so they’re quite old and need to be refurbished but there’s a better solution available,” he said.
The association – which is a community group formed recently to “make Brimbank better” – is pushing for council to scrap the existing depots and instead construct a new consolidated site at the energy park in Albion.
“These depots are located on valuable land that could pay for the construction of the new depot once sold,” Mr Lancashire said.
“Given that energy park has direct access via the signalised intersection off Ballarat Road, this would make an excellent location for a new consolidated depot.
“Additionally, the federal government has provided $500,000 for the energy park – this would pay for the necessary design and approvals of the new depot.”
In its preliminary proposal outlining the benefits of a combined space, the association states council could make a hefty profit if it implements the plan.
As per the association’s data, income from the sale of the two depot sites would amount to $86 million.
It said construction of a new consolidated depot is estimated to cost $12 million.
While the report is based on rough estimates generated from secondary sources and research, Mr Lancashire believes the scheme has legs.
“The purpose of this analysis [was] to determine whether the proposal was … worthy of greater consideration,” he said.
“Even if it takes double the money to construct the new depot, there’s still millions left over.”
Mr Lancashire said these funds could be redirected towards other important initiatives.
“There are numerous council projects that are greatly needed by the community and are presently unfunded,” he said.
“We think our proposal has merits and should be afforded a more detailed professional analysis [by council].”
Brimbank council declined to comment.
