State government urged to sell Geelong school site left vacant for more than a decade

Calls are mounting for the Allan government to relinquish a $20m site on the outskirts of Geelong earmarked for a new secondary school.

Armstrong Creek parents and residents Jacky Basset, left, Lauren Piechota and Sherryn Vessey at the site earmarked for a secondary school in 2024. Picture: Alison Wynd

Calls are mounting for the state government to relinquish a $20m 8ha site on the outskirts of Geelong slated for a new secondary school.

The 2022–23 state budget committed $1m for a feasibility study for the Armstrong Mount Duneed site, but a government spokesman has confirmed building will not start on the school site in the next 12 months.

There is also no firm commitment or timeframe for future works. The spokesman told the Herald Sun students in Armstrong Creek and Mount Duneed “are currently able to attend Oberon High School and Grovedale College”.

The government believes that based on population forecasts, current schools have the capacity to accommodate growth in the area. This will be reviewed annually.

The site, on the corner of Sovereign Drive and Boundary Rd was first slated for a secondary school in a 2012 structure plan but continues to sit empty more than a decade later.

The site remains empty more than 10 years after it was first slated to become a secondary school. Picture: Alison Wynd

Frustrated developers Villawood Properties are being charged $80,000 a year in state government land tax for the privilege of holding onto the site, with costs so far hitting $1.5m.

Andrew Duggan, general manager of Villawood Properties, said: “If they are not going to proceed they should relinquish the site for a non-government school.”

He said $80,000 in annual land tax continued to be charged, “even though the land is designated to be a government asset”.

“It doesn’t make sense. The longer they hold off, the more expensive the land will be to acquire and for the school to build,” Mr Duggan said.

Opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said: “This is yet another example of Labor’s neglect for growing suburban communities. Whilst more than 10,000 families have moved into the immediate area, after more than a decade the planned secondary school to service this community remains an empty paddock.”

Students in Armstrong Creek and Mount Duneed ‘are currently able to attend Oberon High School and Grovedale College’, a state government spokesman said. Picture: Alan Barber

“With nearby schools approaching capacity, the Allan Labor government must provide immediate funding to deliver the planned Armstrong Mount Duneed Secondary School as a priority.”

“Not only are families and students being denied the quality local secondary school they deserve, the land tax being applied to this vacant lot will ultimately flow through to higher housing costs across South Barwon and Geelong’s growing suburbs,” Ms Wilson said.

Population growth in the Armstrong Creek West area is projected to reach 23,500 in the coming years. Nearby high schools Grovedale College has 693 students and Oberon High has more than 1048.

Mount Duneed mother-of-two Ali Giuricin said her older daughter was in year five. “So we are looking around at secondary schools. We are being forced to look at independent and Catholic schools as there’s no nearby school. Where are all the kids going to go?” she said.

Sherryn Vessey, another Mount Duneed parent with primary school-aged children, has started a change.org petition which has attracted 584 signatures.

“Especially in this economic climate, not everyone can afford to put children through a private school,” she said.

Originally published as State government urged to sell Geelong school site left vacant for more than a decade