‘Support’ for garden

By Michelle Herbison
A BOTANIC garden is the Queenscliff community’s favoured use for the town’s former high school site, according to a council survey.
Borough of Queenscliffe council heard this week that 224 residents returned a questionnaire in January seeking their opinions on three proposals for the land.
Sixty-three per cent supported botanic gardens, 52 supported a community vegetable garden and 58 wanted a community building.
Thirty-eight per cent of respondents preferred to maintain the site in its existing state.
Council heard that supporters of a botanic garden most commonly said it would enhance the entry to Queenscliff.
A quarter of gardens objectors preferred to retain the land for passive recreation.
A quarter of all respondents preferred that an existing indigenous garden remain on the site with “little or no change”.
Queen St resident Joe Rutecki thought the survey was unrepresentative of community opinion on the site.
He said filling the open space was unnecessary because the town’s primary school, YMCA groups, football teams and families used the space for passive recreation.
Borough of Queenscliffe Mayor Bob Merriman said the survey was “all-embracing”.
“All of the community had an opportunity to respond,” he said.
“One has to take recognition that the outcome of the survey is what the community’s wishes are.
“If anybody has a different view they should let us know pretty quickly.”