By Mikayla van Loon
A decision is expected to be handed down to residents who have spent years campaigning to keep a vacant block of land for community use in February.
The site at 150 Cambridge Road in Kilsyth, once home to Pembroke High, has been used as community land since the school was demolished in 2013.
Over 7000 community members from all over the Yarra Ranges signed a petition to retain the land and support has continued to grow with people still tying ribbons to the fence of the property – a visual note of support.
Senior campaigner and Kilsyth resident John Phillips said late last year Yarra Ranges Council were officially given the opportunity to purchase the land from the State Government for $6.44 million.
“In a way it means we’re still on the agenda and for the community, the ball is still rolling. I guess that means if it’s not sold [to developers], we still have a fair chance,” he said.
For the last year, Mr Phillips has been placing pressure on the State Government through James Merlino’s office and on the council to reach an agreed purchase price.
“When we went to James Merlino’s office probably a year ago, we were told then that it won’t happen because it will set a precedent for school sites,” Mr Phillips said.
“Having said that, it’s my understanding of the thousands of government documents I’ve read in the last couple of years that as part of the normal process for surplus state government owned land sites, under first right of refusal, most of those sites are offered to local shires first.”
This initial process happened in 2019 where Yarra Ranges Council refused the offer but has since changed its tune now that councillors have been made aware of the community need.
Councillor Len Cox has been working alongside Mr Phillips and other concerned residents to get this item on the council’s agenda at one of the meetings in February.
The Walling Ward councillor said it would be a disaster if developers got their hands on the vacant block because it would mean more medium density housing would be established in an already overcrowded area.
“There’s more and more backyards disappearing and we need more public open space, more passive open space than what we’ve got. 150 Cambridge Road, it’s absolutely essential that the council can get hold of that and retain it as more public open space,” Cr Cox said.
When Star Mail spoke to Cr Cox in August he said his fellow councillors had seemed sympathetic to the idea of purchasing the land.
As someone who was involved in the council when the decision was made to retain Lillydale Lake as parkland, Cr Cox said this is a similar situation for Kilsyth, being the last piece of parkland available in the area.
“Once it’s gone. It’s gone forever and there’ll be no comeback. So at this moment in time, it is really urgent that the council buys it. It’s owned by the people now and it should stay owned by the people,” he said.
Although the debate about whether the council can afford to purchase the land in the current landscape has been raised, particularly after the storms in June and the costs associated, Cr Cox said in 10 years time no one will remember how much the land cost.
“This happened 30 years ago, when the then council, which was Lilydale at the time, looked at building Lillydale Lake.
“A lot of them didn’t want to spend the money on building the lake. Can you imagine what we would have missed out on if they’d got their way and we hadn’t built it.”
Now just weeks away from a decision, Mr Phillips said he has been emailing the councillors and council officers to make them aware of the situation and urges the community to do the same to highlight the community’s desire to keep 150 Cambridge Road as it currently exists.
Support from politicians on both sides has also been offered, with Croydon MP David Hodgett requesting the government offer Yarra Ranges Council a five year peppercorn lease during a parliamentary speech in November.
Mr Phillips has also received support from Victorian Greens parliamentary leader Samantha Ratnam who noted the need for open space in Kilsyth.
“Look what the last two years has done to people’s mental health and well being and the scars on children that will carry that through decades in their life and adulthood, they will need this space.”
