Merri & Edgars Creeks Parkland Group

Simon Craig, Moreland Leader, 22nd February 2010

A resident group fighting to keep Moreland’s largest open space off-limits to developers remains nervous about the site’s future.

VicRoads has owned the 10ha Merri Edgars Creeks parklands in Coburg North since 1970s, when it was bought for a now-abandoned planned freeway between Bell St and the Western Ring Rd.  It at one stage put a $10 million price tag on the site, much of it floodprone.

Moreland Council and residents have for several years called for the land to be gifted to the council, which has spent about $2 million improving and maintaining it.

A pending report from a taskforce set up last year to investigate the matter could pave the way for a handover, said Travis Cox, a taskforce member and spokesman for Merri and Edgars Creek Parkland Group.

He said the report would need to convince Planning Minister Justin Madden that there were “exceptional circumstances” for gifting the land.

“We’ve been fighting this for three years and it seems like a no-brainer but there are concerns that this view is not fully shared,” Mr Cox said.

“It would be nice to not have to go through the entire state election cycle and not have an outcome.

“We are concerned that all this energy is put in and it just gets mothballed (by the minister).”

Mr Cox said concerns remained that sections around the edges of the site could be sold for housing, allowing VicRoads to recoup some costs.

The taskforce is chaired by Pascoe Vale state Labor MP Christine Campbell, and is made up of representatives from the council, the Department of Planning and Community Development, VicRoads, Friends of Merri Creek [NB: this is an error in the article - it's actually the Friends of Edgars Creek] and MECPG.

Its report for Mr Madden is expected to be finalised next month. Mr Cox described the Merri Edgars Creek parkland as a “green oasis” between major residential developments at Pentridge and Kodak.

“In light of the projected 27 per cent increase in the Coburg population between 2001 and 2021, losing this natural recreation area would be a travesty,” he said.

The council recently erected a banner on the parkland restating its support for keeping the parkland.

Mayor Stella Kariofyllidis said: “Council has maintained the land as parkland for many years and believes the land should remain as open space.”

The Merri and Edgars Creek Parkland Group is holding a rally in the park on Sunday, March 14, at 10:30am.

February 25th, 2010 | Category: history, media | Comments (1)

Come one, come all to this year’s Walk In The Park on Sunday 14th March @ 10:30am to show your support for retention of this land as public open space for the entire community!

This year’s walk will be particularly important because just as the Minister is sitting down to read the recommendations of the taskforce, we need to remind him that any reference to “community benefit” actually means “mums, dads, kids, grandparents, dogs, walkers, golfers, cyclists, etc”.  Everyone who uses the park has a face and it’s these faces we want the Minister to see, to make sure he understands there is massive community support for this parkland and we want to keep it in public hands forever!

A PDF flyer attached to this post has all the relevant details.  Feel free to print off a couple and post them on a noticeboard at your workplace to get the word out.  Tell your neighbours!  Mention it at your next BBQ or dinner party!  We’re aiming to get as many people as possible into the parkland for a photograph we will be providing to the Minister showing how much we love the park!

Hope to see you there!

Flyer for MECPG Walk In The Park 14th March 2010 [PDF, 116kB]

Keen for another activity in the local area immediately following our Walk to save the parkland ?  The ‘High School for Coburg‘ group is hosting a Playtime in the Park at 12pm.  Another worthy group lobbying for an open entry high school for the community - please stroll on over afterward (literally 3-4 minutes walk from the Merri Edgars Creek Parkland) to further support the future liveability of Moreland!

February 21st, 2010 | Category: meetings, recreation | Comments (1)

Three years ago, Moreland Council was faced with a tough decision.  VicRoads had placed a deadline for the sale of the parkland as of Feb 28th 2007 - either the Council would agree to purchase the land at full market value or it would be offered to private developers.  The last Council meeting prior to the sale deadline was Feb 14th 2007. An immediate campaign was raised by residents furious with the proposed land sale, with the Council supporting our position that the land should be gifted to the people of Moreland as open space in perpetuity.  A vibrant public rally was also held on the steps of State Parliament. The VicRoads sale deadline was subsequently amended - first to mid 2007, then removed as a fixed date as the campaign continued against the proposed sale.

It is thus with mixed feelings we mark the passage of three years since that Council meeting.

We celebrate that this land is still available for the public to recreate in.  An activity count during a recent 1-hour visit to the park during a weekday morning found 28 people cycling, golfing, walking with dogs and/or children, doing Tai Chi, and enjoying nature.  None of this would be possible if the land had been sold to private developers.

On the other hand, it’s somewhat disheartening to note that despite residents, Councillor and Council employees, Christine Campbell MP, Carlo Carli MP, Colleen Hartland MP, and Federal MP Kelvin Thompson all expressing their significant concerns about the loss of this parkland as open space for the community, this matter has not yet been resolved. 

The Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, has the power to stop this issue draining local energies and ensure the parkland is managed as an open space recreation haven for current and future residents.

Come on Mr Madden! Gifting this land to the local council for ongoing stewardship as parkland is a win-win-win situation!

February 14th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

One of our MECPG members has discovered a great aerial photo of the threatened parkland.  Take a moment to admire the beauty!  It’s a spectacular site and to be under threat from development is a travesty!

To underscore even more the potential damage of development - this image only shows two of the four VicRoads land parcels under threat.  This parkland has survived for decades and is the largest open space in Coburg.  We cannot afford to lose it!

Aerial image of parkland

February 13th, 2010 | Category: flora & fauna, waterways | Leave a comment