By Pierre Vairo
The Victoria Government, through Development Victoria has released its long awaited draft ‘Master Plan’ for the Old Footscray Hospital site.
The one-page illustration is very thin on detail, but one thing is abundantly clear – the majority of the State Government portion of land is to be sold-off to private developers, with the State committing to funding only a small park.
Any plan to sell off public land rightfully attracts the ire of the public, but as many in the community know the Old Footscray Hospital site is not your run-of-the-mill public land.
Footscray residents, 100 years ago, fed up with the Government’s refusal to build a hospital in Footscray, fundraised to purchase this land for the hospital. The £2000 that was raised was used to purchase land from the Rayner family, who ran a bluestone quarry on the site. The descendants of the Rayner family still live in Footscray, if you see them on the street, be sure to buy them a coffee, as their forebears sold the family land to the fundraising committee for a discount! It is this historical community goodwill our current government is attempting to cash-in on.
A government that was respectful of the impressive efforts of Footscray residents of the 1920s, and that followed a proper strategic planning process, would have its planning department experts overseeing the site’s transition from hospital to an exemplary mini suburb for the densifying community of Footscray. It would ensure a plan that prioritised the use of the land to benefit the community for another 100+ years, delivering significant and high-quality public and social housing, extensive public open space, and diverse community infrastructure.
Instead, the government has asked Development Victoria to ‘plan’ the site. Development Victoria’s stated goals include ‘transforming surplus public land’ while ‘optimising economic value’. These euphemisms – reflected in the ‘master plan’ reveal a focus on short term financial gain with barely a shrug to long-term community benefit.
By our estimates based on the published illustration, only 10% of the State Government controlled portion of the site will be delivered by the State as public open space. To put that into context, the West Footscray Dog Park on Essex Street is larger than what the State is proposing here.
Maribyrnong Council’s compelling vision for the site includes public open space three times as large – appropriate for a municipality whose population is slated to grow by 55% by 2050.
Maribyrnong Council’s vision for the site also included a commitment to 30% public and affordable housing, the creative re-use of the heritage listed psychiatric building, and reserved space for the expansion of Brenbeal Children’s Centre. Development Victoria’s plan ignores the Council vision and to add to the insult, will require Council to buy public land to expand Brenbeal at market rates – donors from the 1920s would be turning in their graves!
In addition to the basic survey,the Government is organising a Community Working Group (CWG). Again, at first glance this seems like a welcome addition, however the CWG will only focus on the park component. Jaclyn Symes MP, Treasury and Minister responsible for Development Victoria is on record as saying that the Footscray community knew best what the site should deliver for local families. If this is true, why are the views of the CWG not being sought for the entire site — instead of solely on the commercially worthless portion of land that sits atop the old quarry and tip?
The online consultation is open till the 26th July; four in-person consultation sessions will also be held at various locations in Footscray.
https://engage.vic.gov.au/former-footscray-hospital
If you, like many in the community, are alarmed by the government’s attempt to sell off our land, the Reimagining Old Footscray Hospital Group encourages you to respond to the consultation. Let the State Government know you want genuine consultation across the entire site, a commitment to fund a large urban park, significant public housing, and an emphasis on community value, not privatisation.
We urge the community to raise their voice before this land – purchased by our community for public benefit over 100 years ago – is sold to the highest bidder. Find out more at oldfootscrayhospital.org
