- Local News 20 Sep 10 @ 08:46am by Alex Munro
A COLDSTREAM community group has proposed doubling the town’s size and population by rezoning large tracts of underused rural land for housing.
Coldstream 2020, a group of residents and businesses, is gauging resident opinion of the proposal, which it says could rejuvenate the languishing town and help ease Melbourne’s housing crunch.
>>HAVE YOUR SAY: Should rural land in Coldstream be rezoned for housing? Tell us what you think below.
It distributed almost 500 surveys to residents this month, with 20 returned within a week and most of these in support.
Coldstream 2020’s Brett Spurling said increasing the town’s population could help better support local schools, shops, sporting clubs and community groups.
“I’ve been a resident for 25 years and in that time I’ve seen the struggle for businesses, clubs and schools firsthand,” he said.
“There is so much potential in Coldstream that it is just being wasted. We’ve seen shops come and go because there is not the population to support them.”
The group has proposed rezoning fields next to Maroondah Highway that would create a new town centre at the post office/IGA complex.
Rezoning more residential land would mean the town’s population could be increased without the further creation of dual occupancies, a controversial topic in Coldstream.
The unused land is owned by private investors, residents, Coldstream Timber and Hardware, and Mr Spurling’s father.
Newsagent and post office owner Barry Kennedy said increasing the town’s population was vital from a business and infrastructure point of view.
Vocal Coldstream businessman Mario Galteri, a member of Coldstream 2020, said the group would only act with community support.
“It’s about making housing more affordable and helping keeping families together,” he said.
Details of the proposal are available from Coldstream newsagency and post office or coldstreamau.blogspot.com/p/coldstream-2020.html.
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1 comment:
I'm in Yarra Glen and even blind freddy can see that Coldstream needs more farm land released for private housing. Local tradesmen need to travel to far flung areas of Melbourne west and south east for work everyday when new local subdivisions could save on travelling costs and help save local schools which will close if no new families are formed due to the current aging population. If thats not bad enough, try getting a taxi in Coldstream and tell me that Coldstream wont end up being a ghost town within 10 years if the Blue Greenies dont use their numbers in parliament now otherwise it might be another generation too late for Coldstream in the blink of another election result.
Maybe they dont want to increase the bus services or re-instate the train service to Healesville, which might be holding them back?
A bus service which in the 21st Century still does not go anywhere near the Yarra Glen Primary School seems another puzzling policy directive of the Department of Transport despite many years of research must be wanting to keep the automotive industry afloat at the disadvantage of struggling local families for the sake of the extra minute in time on the bus timetables. zzzzzzzzZZZ Wake up local politicians or is this a safe seat not needing any attention?
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