Knox Council plan to establish pop-up park in Boronia criticised by traders

Plans to turn an abandoned site in Boronia into a pop-up park, which could include iPhone chargers and fairy lights, has been slammed by traders who fear the site will become a vandal hotspot. Here’s what they’re proposing instead.

Rachel Robertson from Boronia cafe Two Cats Espresso Bar wants the site at 257 Dorset Rd to be turned into a carpark. Picture: James Ross

A plan to turn an abandoned site in Boronia into a pop-up park has drawn criticism from traders, who want the land to be used for parking.

Two Cats Espresso Bar owner Rachel Robertson has started a petition calling on Knox Council to turn 257 Dorset Rd, formerly home to the Boronia Youth Hall, into parking.

Ms Robertson said there were 12 shops in nearby Railway Arcade, but only seven designated parking spaces for tenants.

“That means there is less than one carpark per tenant; it doesn’t even account for extra employees of each shop and it especially doesn’t account for any of our customers,” Ms Robertson said.

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“People double park, people park on the pedestrian crossing and that leads to fights because people can’t get their cars out.

“It’s very tense.”

But she said a council representative had told her they planned to establish a pop-up park at the site, with iPhone charging stations and fairy lights.

“I would love to see Boronia gentrified but I told (the representative) ‘I think within a week it would be absolutely destroyed and a complete waste of council money’,” Ms Robertson said.

“I don’t think Boronia’s public spaces are quite there yet, especially near the station (where) there is a lot of vandalism.”

Rachel Robertson near the site she wants Knox Council to turn into carpark. Picture: James Ross

Ms Robertson said the site had been abandoned for years, and half the old hall had been knocked down.

Knox Mayor Jake Keogh said the council planned to establish a temporary open space providing improved community access to Boronia station at the site, with the project expected to be complete by June.

The council did not confirm if iPhone chargers and fairy lights were part of the plan.

Cr Keogh said the long-term use of the site was being considered as part of the Boronia Renewal Strategy.

Knox Council say the open space at 257 Dorset Rd will improve access to Boronia station.

Cr Keogh said the former Boronia Youth Hall and the Bayswater Youth Hall had reached the end of their useful lives and a decision was taken to demolish each building as a matter of public safety.

“Both buildings had been vacant for some time and activities that had taken place there in the past had already relocated to other local facilities,” he said.

Cr Keogh said council was still considering potential future uses for the Bayswater Hall site, and would ask for community feedback.

On Knox Leader’s Facebook page, Melissa Allen supported the move to create more open space.

“Every day we lose more trees and green areas,” she said.

Joel McMontz said the whole shopping strip needed to be reworked.

“There’s a lot of potential business there, but it was all so poorly planned years ago.”