Former Heathmont Anglican Church site trashed by vandals and filled with rubbish
Almost a year after it was sold, a former church in Heathmont has deteriorated into a graffiti-filled dump, with many suspecting it is also being used by squatters. SEE THE PICTURES.
Outer East
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A former Heathmont church has been become a dumping ground for rubbish, a magnet for graffiti vandals and possibly a home for squatters.
When Maroondah Leader visited the former church at 203-205 Canterbury Rd on Wednesday, it had the tag ‘Plutes’ all over its windows while inside the walls in many rooms were covered in graffiti.
Trolleys and paint tins were scattered around the grounds, and a skip dumpster filled with hard rubbish sat near its front entrance.
Maroondah Leader reported in March the site was sold in November 2018 for $3.4 million to an unknown developer, which could build housing or a childcare centre.
Viviani Crescent’s Kelly Mayne said the building had been abandoned for about a decade.
She said she had not seen any squatters at the site but heard others had.
“When I first moved in here I could hear a lot of singing going on, but in the last 10 years there hasn’t been anything,” she said.
“It’s ugly, its abandoned and we got lots of people using it as a through road which is very annoying.
“Every year it becomes a rubbish dump, it just piles up and I have to call and complain to the council.
Readers took to Maroondah Leader’s Facebook page with many saying they had seen squatters.
Jane Draper said she’d seen people with shopping trolleys and others spray-painting windows, while Kyle Andrew Robers said he’d seen “suspicious looking people around the building while driving by a few times”.
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Kenn Moulynox said he was sure squatters had lived at the church until recently, while Cheryl King thought it was a “great place”for a homeless shelter.
Ringwood police Sergeant Karen Barnes said she was unaware of any illegal activity or squatters at the site.
An application to build a 139-capacity childcare centre with 30 parking spaces was submitted to Maroondah Council on March 1 and is listed as “under assessment” on the council’s planning website.
Ms Mayne said she supported a new building but was concerned a childcare centre would create rising traffic and parking problems in her street.
“It’ll make the traffic a nightmare here and it’ll be a lot busier than it is now,” Ms Mayne said.
Maroondah Council was contacted for comment.