Altona’s Grieve Parade Reserve oasis turned wasteland by Hobsons Bay council

A planned urban forest of 800 trees in Melbourne’s west has deteriorated into a wasteland, with ratepayers furious at the “ill-conceived” plan.

Residents at Grieve Parade Reserve wasteland in Altona. Picture: Rebecca Michael

A planned urban forest of 800 trees in Melbourne’s west has deteriorated into an ugly wasteland with residents accusing their council of “urban vandalism”.

Grieve Parade Reserve in Altona was an open parkland before a Hobsons Bay Council promised in 2020 to transform it into a “shady oasis”.

But more than two years on, just a few of the native trees are still alive and the land is covered with bark and timber pieces that make the space unusable for nearby families.

Residents suspect most of the trees have “drowned” because under 50 to 60cm of topsoil is basalt rock which limits drainage.

Hundreds of native trees at Grieve Parade Reserve.

Resident Eddy said the council had destroyed the area and that is plans were ill-conceived.

“It’s just urban vandalism what’s happened here,’’ he said.

“I don’t even think they have done any soil testing,’’ he said.

Remaining tree stakes on the site were found to be waterlogged and rotting at the base.

Hobsons Bay councillor Daria Kellander said she was “saddened” to learn about the state of the reserve.

“In my opinion, this is a waste of ratepayers’ money once again. What was once a serene green open space that residents enjoyed, now looks like a dystopian wasteland,’’ Cr Kellander said.

“Our community deserves answers and to have this fixed immediately.

The council promoted a “shady oasis” on its Facebook page.

A council spokesman said the municipality lost less than 3 per cent of semi-advanced trees every year because of adverse weather, site conditions or vandalism:

“The main reason for the loss of trees at the site was the extremely wet springs in 2021 and 2022 that led to prolonged waterlogging of the area,’’ the spokesman said.

“No major works are currently scheduled for the site, but council is planning to undertake some site maintenance.”

Questions about the cost of the plantings were ignored but the financial impact is believed to be as much as $200,000.

The original council plan was part of the council’s Urban Forest Strategy and used labour from the Working for Victoria Program which provided employment for jobseekers at local councils.

Existing walking tracks were also turned into gravel paths.

“The trees will reduce the urban heat effect, beautify the area and increase biodiversity,’’ the council said.

However now most of the trees are dead, the grass has been covered and it attracts no birdlife.

Hobsons Bay Council also came under fire last month over its plans for a $60 million pool complex at Altona Meadows, with residents saying the current pool in Laverton should be refurbished instead.