The City of Melbourne plans to sell CBD car parks to ease the expected future 'burden' of providing new community facilities.
After an internal review, City Council members determined that there was sufficient parking space to meet the needs of both the city and the community, and voted unanimously in favor of the sale at the May 28 City Council meeting.
Mayor Sally Capp said the Parkade car park at 34-60 Little Collins Street was not suitable for conversion or community use.
“Council inquired about the current use of the land, the future use of the land, its return to our community and any proceeds from the sale or other uses of the site itself,” Cr Capp said.
Feedback clearly demonstrates our focus on community use now and in the future. Amenities and economic sustainability are top priorities for members of our community.
An online survey on Participate Melbourne's website revealed 43 per cent supported the proposed land sale, 34 per cent opposed and 23 per cent neither supported nor opposed.
The most common arguments in favor of a proposed sale were based on the aesthetics of the land and that the property was not being used to its full potential.
Those who opposed the sale argued that the land could be used for alternative purposes to better serve the community and that the site could be purchased by a developer.
A common thread among respondents was that they wanted to know how the proceeds from the sale would be used by Congress.
“I see there are some very strong arguments for why this land is surplus to our needs and the many other ways we can invest that money at this time,” David・Mr. Griffiths said.
Cr Griffiths said the council would be under significant strain in its future efforts to provide the city with sufficient sports and recreation facilities to accommodate its growing population.
“We need to make decisions about what kinds of assets we want to own,” he says.
The land will be sold on the open market by auction or expression of interest, and the council will consider the possibility of including affordable housing as part of the terms of the sale. •
