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Maroondah Council should scale back precinct plans, says Croydon Conservation Society

Homelessness and social issues should replace Maroondah Council’s plans for a huge precinct redevelopment, a community group has said. Do you agree with what the council has planned?

Artist's impression of one of the hubs proposed for the Croydon Community Precinct.
Artist's impression of one of the hubs proposed for the Croydon Community Precinct.

Croydon environmentalists want Maroondah Council to scale back its plans for the town’s community precinct and instead tackle social issues including homelessness.

The Croydon Conservation Society submitted it’s feedback to the council’s plans to redevelop the area around the council offices and library.

Maroondah Leader previously reported the council’s draft plans included demolishing public buildings, including Keystone Hall.

Maroondah Council's draft masterplan for its Croydon Community Precinct.
Maroondah Council's draft masterplan for its Croydon Community Precinct.

The group’s feedback was critical of the council’s plans and the potential environmental impact, saying public money would be better spent dealing with homelessness in the area.

Society president Liz Sanzaro said the group stood by its submission and believed the precinct’s design was not what the community wanted or in keeping with Croydon’s character.

“With the climate the way it is, we don’t think ‘business as usual’ is the way to proceed into the future,” Ms Sanzaro said.

She said the group felt homelessness was a huge social issue at the moment.

“There are better ways that council money could be spent doing things for society than building new buildings.”

The submission said demolishing existing buildings for three new multipurpose hubs would be a “less environmentally friendly and potentially wasteful exercise” and make a large part of Croydon look “generic”.

Croydon Conservation Society president Liz Sanzaro at her home in Croydon South. Picture: Steve Tanner
Croydon Conservation Society president Liz Sanzaro at her home in Croydon South. Picture: Steve Tanner

The group also feared the project would create a large carbon footprint and called for a full environmental assessment of the masterplan.

“We would rather the council finances be put to some retrofitting and minor refurbishment of some of the facilities and the remainder used instead to address some more pressing social problems like homelessness,” the submission said.

Maroondah Mayor Mike Symon said he welcomed the group’s feedback on the precinct plans and encouraged more residents to do so before the deadline on Sunday, January 26.

“We have many submissions with different points of view, and that’s the point of having a consultation and gathering all that information, considering it and then making a decision,” Cr Symon said.

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“It (Croydon) has been an area that’s needed attention and its now getting some.

“Everyone who puts in a submission gets considered, it’s a great time to do it and we want to hear your views.”

Details and submissions: yoursay.maroondah.vic.gov.au

kiel.egging@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/outer-east/maroondah-council-should-scale-back-precinct-plans-says-croydon-conservation-society/news-story/7f69fe75148a415bd05e41465c4a5917