Ascot Vale Estate public housing tenants fear uncertain future

Public housing tenants in Melbourne’s northwest are demanding transparency from the State Government about their futures, saying they have been left in the dark over plans to redevelop Ascot Vale Estate.

Marcellene D'Menzie, Staci Delaney and Prue Myers at 24 Dunlop Ave, Ascot Vale.

Public housing tenants are calling for more transparency over the redevelopment of the Ascot Vale Estate and sale of public land.

Clare Hanson has lived on the estate for more than eight years and said she had become the de facto spokeswoman for residents.

“We are very angry and very confused and very disappointed,” she said.

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She said people were confused about when and where they were moving to because of a serious lack of communication between the residents and the Department of Health and Human Services.

“We get told next year, then that it could take 20 years. We don’t know where we’ll be moving to. The DDHS say they don’t know,” she said.

Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Claire Martin said the department had “engaged extensively” with tenants and would soon have a better understanding of the dwelling mix, social and physical infrastructure requirements.

Ascot Vale tenants L-R Dawn, Janet, Elif, Staci Delaney, Marcellene D’Menzie and Jamie Chancellor at a rally last week.

Staci Delaney has also lived at the Ascot Vale Estate for eight years and said she was yet to be told when or where she would live during construction.

“I’m worried about going further out than I am. My mental health professionals are on Mt Alexander Rd,” she said.

“I know my neighbours, my neighbours know me, it’s like a country town. We all look out for each other.”

Researchers agree there needs to be more than an extra 10 per cent of housing built to address a growing number of disadvantaged people. Picture: Ian Currie

Ms Delaney said she suffered from a mental health condition and did not want to move far from the health services she had used for many years.

A renewal in Carlton took five years to complete and the Prahran renewal was predicted to take 25 years.

The state government have said the number of homes on each of the 11 estates being redeveloped would increase by at least 10 per cent and current public housing residents would have first dibs on the new homes.

Essendon state Labor MP Danny Pearson said all residents were assigned a case manager to figure out where and when they wanted to move from the estate and no one was forced to move anywhere they didn’t want to go.

Melbourne University urban planning professor Carolyn Whitzman said there was a significant lack of transparency about the future of Melbourne’s public housing estates.

But University of Melbourne urban planning professor Carolyn Whitzman said there was no guarantee residents had a right of return because of a lack of transparency about how many new dwellings and rooms would be built.

A Parliamentary Inquiry into public private partnerships for public housing, published in June, found the 10 per cent increase in housing at redeveloped estates in Carlton and Kensington referred to the number of units on each site, not bedrooms, which could cause a reduction in total capacity and the inability for everyone to return.

Findings from recent community consultation on the redevelopment gave no assurances as to how the sale of public land would work.

The Ascot Vale Estate is in the master planning stage of redevelopment. Picture: Ian Currie

Between September and October 14, locals were invited to contribute to a shared vision for the Ascot Vale Estate redevelopment — which is separate from the Dunlop Ave estate.

A report showed about 300 people took part, including 124 residents and 41 neighbours.

Community wellbeing and outdoor space were most important to residents and neighbours.

They also expressed concerns about adding private housing to the estate, and the lack of information for residents about the redevelopment.

The report outlined 18 principles for the future of the estate but not one addressed concerns over the sale of public land.

Ascot Vale residents rallied outside the State Library last week, to draw attention to the severe lack of public housing in Victoria ahead of the state election.

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