Reserve car park to shut

By Kelly Yates
GATES will be put up to shut the car park at a Narre Warren reserve in an effort to stop continual anti-social and hoon behaviour.
Council officers said the night time park closure at Ray Bastin Reserve, from 10pm to 7am, would be implemented on a 12-month trial.
Casey council received a petition back in July signed by 60 residents calling for locked gates to be installed at the reserve.
According to the petitioners, there had been ongoing issues of anti-social and hoon behaviour in the car park for a number of years.
Some of the other problems raised by locals included loud noises from vehicles, yelling and swearing late at night from groups of people, rubbish, vandalism to adjoining residential properties and high speed vehicles.
Springfield Ward councillor Lorraine Wreford said it was a shame the council had to build gates on a public reserve.
“But it’s better we do that and protect the park,” she said.
Cr Wreford said the Ray Bastin Reserve was used by many adults, children and families on a daily basis.
“It has the biggest playground in Casey there and also has a skate park and a sensory garden,” she said.
In the council report, parks and reserves manager Trevor Griffin says the closure of the car park would eliminate the potential for vehicles to park in the area and, in turn, reduce the accompanying anti-social and hoon behaviour.
The cost to install the gates has been estimated at $10,000, with the costs to have them opened and closed each day being around $15,000 each year.
The funding of these costs is set to come from the existing Parks and Reserves capital and operating budgets.