AN open space campaigner is relieved the former Sunvale Primary School site has been left out of plans to sell disused schools across Melbourne but remains concerned about its future.
The state government last week announced that a land rezoning project will be piloted at nine vacant school sites across Monash, Casey and Bendigo to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for public infrastructure. The changes will allow the sites to be transformed into community facilities and residential developments.
Education Minister Martin Dixon said the sites could be bought by councils or interested parties and presented opportunities for economic growth and job creation. He said selling the land would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs and prevent the buildings becoming magnets for vandals and dumping.
A merger with Sunshine East and Braybrook primary schools to form Sunshine Harvester Primary led to Sunvale’s last students leaving in September 2009.
Save Sunvale member John Hedditch said he was pleased the school wasn’t on the ‘‘for sale’’ list, but questions about its future use remained unanswered.
‘‘We remain concerned that the only site left for a decent community park in Sunshine has yet to be confirmed by the Victorian government as a future park site rather than a future revenue site,” he said.
Mr Hedditch and fellow Save Sunvale member Sean Spencer have called for the two-hectare site to be kept as open space since 2010, when the Education Department announced plans to offload the property.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s spokesman said he was still working with the department and was “hoping for an outcome on the site in the near future”.
As reported by the Weekly, Brimbank council has made an offer for the western portion of the site.
