Community members in Healesville are encouraged to share their thoughts about the potential purchase of 13 Green Street, Healesville, following an offer from VicTrack.
In 2017, community members were surveyed about the potential purchase of excess VicTrack land on 13 Green Street – an area of open space where the Healesville Market is located monthly.
Community members responded positively, but the initial indicated price of $600,000 was then increased to $1.185m.
Council withdrew its interest in purchasing the land, due to the high cost, and asked for the land to be provided at a lower cost or gifted to Council.
Ryrie Ward Councillor, Fiona McAllister, said that VicTrack had since offered the land at a discount, provided the land stays public open space forever.
"In January, the Valuer-General valued this land at $1.35m – VicTrack have indicated that they would sell the land to Council at half this cost, $675,000, if we keep the land as public open space," she said.
"The Public Open Space Funding for Ryrie Ward is solely for buying land for public recreation, as parkland or similar use, or improving land we already have as open space.
"If we were to proceed with the purchase, the money already exists in this fund and would require no sale of land or redistribution of Council funds."
Cr McAllister urged community members, particularly those in Healesville, Coldstream and Yarra Glen, to share their thoughts.
"We know we had significant community interest in Healesville, in favour of purchasing this land and keeping it as open space," she said.
"But it's been five years since we last checked in, so we want to gauge what support and concerns exist in Ryrie Ward, so we can plot a course.
"This is a chance for us to secure a piece of open space that the Healesville community has used and cherished for decades. But before we make any decisions, we want to see what our community members think.
