Nov 5, 2023 3 min read

Dear oh dear - More Open Space to Yield to Concrete

Rumour has it that Banyule Council has $89 million in reserves, plus owns several blocks of land used for free parking in retail precincts, yet cannot find money to meet community needs.

Did you know you own this land?

Sad to report that the Council that exists to deliver local government services to us is seeking "expressions of interest" from developers to build on a local patch of "all too rare" green space.

It is patently obvious this is not green space, a playground, or recreation space that needs to be defended by the community - it is a locked-up, under-utilised bit of land, banked by Banyule Council against future development.

Vacant block of public land at Stradbroke & Burgundy slated for multi-story development

It may have a perfectly sensible future as an element of an expanded medical precinct.

Banyule Council has published an appeal to developers to submit proposals to build a tower development on the block of land at 1 Stradbroke Avenue Heidelberg.

This #1 Stradbroke Avenue land is about 300 metres from where Banyule Council is presently in the process of selling the Hawdon Street hall - displacing despairing community groups with decades of use of the facility.

It is also close by the old (closed) Baby Health Centre.

Central to our interest in this small parcel of land is the all-too-opaque Council management of its land bank (a.k.a. parking lots), the commercial management of Council-owned buildings, the extent of funds held in reserves, the magic of seizing "strategic opportunities" to buy land & premises "off budget" while keeping the purse strings drawn tight against community needs.

With Council elections coming up next year, and another budget planning & "community engagement" round about to start, it would be appropriate for Council to organise some community briefings on its cash reserves, its land bank, its commercial activities, its internal processes for deciding what to buy, what to sell, when, why, the objectives the priorities etc.

Transparency by reveal and explanation - a welcome addition to having to ferret around hundreds of pages of annual reports and financials.

Pocket park where May's Walk along the rail line joins Burgundy Street

Across the road is the City of Heidelberg Bowling Club - which despite its name presently has nought to do with local government.

(Prior to the construction of the Heidelberg Town Hall in Ivanhoe in 1937, the offices of the Heidelberg Council were diagonally opposite the bowling club. The timber municipal office building was removed to Beverley Road in the Warringal Parklands. Is this the background to "City of Heidelberg" in the club's name?)

PS: If you are looking for a meeting venue in Heidelberg check out what the bowling club has to offer - a good venue, plenty of parking.