A group of concerned residents will present a petition at the September council meeting in an attempt to save a community space in Belmont.
Geelong council has proposed the sale of 5A Dean Street, a 200-metre-long strip of green land between Dean Street and High Street in Belmont that formerly contained a scout hall and a youth club hall.
The City sought community feedback between June and July this year and is yet to report back to the council, but local residents have gathered 542 signatures opposing the sale.
Belmont local Bernice Davies, a member of the residents group behind the petition, said there were many reasons behind residents’ opposition to the sale including access, water absorption during heavy rains and parking.
But crucially, the overwhelming sentiment of residents was that the land should remain a green space for the community.
“It’s been really interesting gathering signatures, because people have all sorts of visions (for the space),” Ms Davies said.
“Some people want a community garden, some just want to chill out and meet their friends in a place that’s not a coffee shop.
“If you look at Belmont, there aren’t many green spaces. So because we have a history of this land being held by the community, there is a feeling we should keep it and have it as a space for everyone.”
The site was one of three put forth by council as suitable for social housing in 2022, but of the 400 responses the City received from the community the majority opposed (8%) or strongly opposed (53%) that proposal.
That feedback also expressed a strong community preference for the land to be maintained as green space, potentially with a playground, community garden or community building.
It is unclear whether council’s current proposal would see 5A Dean Street remain earmarked for social housing or simply sold to the highest bidder.
Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie said the City would “continue to consider suitable City-owned land which is identified as surplus for social housing”.
“Effective planning must always consider a range of perspectives, and our Social Housing Plan 2020-2041 commits us to considering suitable City-owned land for social housing where it makes sense to do so,” she said.
