Berwick residents want vacant land in the Timbarra estate put to good use. From left: Timbarra Residents’ Association president Brian Miller, Auskick Timbarra coordinator Grahame Don, Liberal Candidate for Narre Warren North Cr Mick Morland, Cr Brian Hetherton and La Trobe MP Jason Wood.
By Rebecca Fraser
BERWICK residents have been urged to attend a rally to preserve the last parcel of land in the Timbarra estate for community development.
Timbarra Residents’ Association president Brian Miller said this was the last chance to make sure the land was put to good use.
“Here’s the chance to finally get some facilities placed on this large parcel of land,” he said.
“There is a desperate need for indoor and outdoor sports facilities at the top of Casey and this would be the ideal location, as it is near both community and retail facilities.
“Timbarra residents need to come out and support this.”
Casey Council has bought 20 per cent of the site, in Parkhill Drive next to Timbarra Primary School, to build a community sports stadium.
But Mr Miller said the whole site needed to be secured to meet the shortage of sports and recreational facilities in the area.
Liberal candidate for Narre Warren North and Casey councillor Mick Morland said it was now up to the State Government to come to the party and either hand over the land to the council for sports facilities or commit to building a secondary school.
Cr Morland said if elected in November, the Liberal party would retain the site for educational purposes.
He said he envisaged that the secondary college would also have its own sports facilities which could be used by sports groups at night and on weekends.
“With a Liberal Government there would be school and sports facilities in the one go. I would imagine that there would be a joint use agreement between council and the school so that everyone would be a winner,” Cr Morland said.
Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton said the council had delayed trying to purchase the land for sports facilities because the State Government had expressed an intention to build a secondary school there.
He said the State Government should give council the land so Casey could build sports facilities on the vacant site.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan said he would meet with Education Minister Lynne Kosky to discuss the issues local schools were facing.
He said he was aware there was a problem with people getting into surrounding secondary colleges and he would consider this and try and help find a solution for the current education pressures.
Mr Donnellan said the Liberal Party’s pledge to keep the land for education purposes was not a real commitment and the State Government was reluctant to build a “second-rate” secondary school on the site.
He said the last review of schooling in the area showed there were insufficient students to open a secondary college on that site.
“There would be a limited number of subjects due to the small size of the school,” he said.
The rally to support preserving the land will be held at the Timbarra Primary School Hall at 7.30pm on Monday, 31 July.
