The Broadmeadows Progress Association (BPA) has criticised an “error” that said the former Broadmeadows Primary School would be rezoned as a public park and recreation zone.
On April 19, a notice published in the Victoria Government Gazette said that the Planning Minister Richard Wynne, had approved an amendment to the Hume Planning Scheme that would mean the rezoning of seven parcels of land (including the former school site at 2-16 Nicholas Street) as a public park and recreation zone.
The rezoning was also announced by Hume councillor Karen Sherry at a meeting last month. She said the 2.16-hectare site would be used as part of the Meadowlink pathway, a proposed shared walking and cycling path.
The BPA praised Mr Wynne’s decision, which came after a long campaign to save the former school site from being developed for housing.
But last week, the BPA received an email from a Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) staffer, which said the notice about rezoning the former school site was a mistake.
The email said that an “unrelated planning scheme amendment” had rezoned land east of Blair Street to a public park and recreation zone for the Meadowlink Project.
According to the email, the land description contained within the documents “included some additional parcels in error, including 2-16 Nicholas Street”.
The email said the former Broadmeadows Primary School site had been “identified” for the state government’s Inclusionary Housing Pilot Program.
In response, the BPA issued a statement which said: “It is not acceptable for Richard Wynne to claim that, unknown to him, his department had made a clerical error, which they will rectify by making further changes to the gazette and saying sorry to the community.”
A DELWP spokesperson said the department “apologises for any confusion caused amongst the community” and said the error was being corrected.
