’Shortsighted’ move to sell three former school sites in Hume

PLANS to sell four open space areas in Broadmeadows and Dallas, including old school sites, have been slammed as “shortsighted”.

PLANS to sell four areas of open space in Broadmeadows and Dallas, including three former school sites, have been criticised as “shortsighted”.

The state Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) is preparing to sell vacant land at 22-48 Ambrose St, 2-16 Nicholas St, 41 Graham St and 58-60 King William St.

The sites were home to the former Upfield, Broadmeadows and Meadows primary schools and a timberyard, respectively.

The land, which has a combined size of more than 46,000sq m, was declared “surplus to requirements” by the Department of Education and Training.

Before offering a site for public sale, the DTF first asks other government departments and councils if they wish to purchase it.

Broadmeadows Primary School students dancing with clapping sticks during activities for International Year of the Child in 1979.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What should be done with the sites? Comment below

Department of Education and Training spokesman Alex Munro said councils were supported to acquire former school sites for community use, if they expressed an interest in doing so.

But Broadmeadows Progress Association assistant secretary Sonja Rutherford said the State Government should ask Hume Council to lease the land for public use, for a few years.

Ms Rutherford said afterwards, new schools could be built on each site to help cater for Hume’s rapidly expanding population.

“Just purely from an educational point of view, no one can look at that land and won’t be needed in 10 years’ time,” she said.

“It’s a very shortsighted way of looking at planning because they know what we need here — and it’s inexcusable.”

Hume Council director of planning and development Kelvin Walsh said the council was working with the State Government to identify further planning required to support the redevelopment of under-utilised land in the Broadmeadows area.

“This includes the State Government land holdings of the former Broadmeadows Primary School site on Nicholas St, which has recently been identified for housing and open space purposes,” Mr Munro said.

“The site has also been identified for inclusion of the proposed Meadowlink development, an open space corridor that proposes to feature shared walking and cycling path between Moonee Ponds Creek in the west and Merlynston Creek in the east.”