By JESSE GRAHAM
MONTROSE’S public toilets have been saved from the chopping block until a replacement is built, after Councillor Len Cox intervened during last week’s Yarra Ranges Council meeting.
At the Yarra Ranges Council’s first meeting for the year on 27 January, the proposal was put forward to prepare nine properties across the municipality for rezoning and sale.
According to a council officer’s report, the proposal came after a comprehensive review of all council-owned properties in order to identify and sell “unused or redundant assets”.
Properties at 14 Currawong Road, Healesville, 7 Hickman Place, Seville, 4 and 13 Leith Road, Montrose, and 143A Badger Creek Roa, Badger Creek, among others, were listed to be prepared to be rezoned and sold, after the council advertised its intentions to the public.
However, Cr Cox noted that the Maternal and Child Health Centre property at 4 Leith Road, Montrose, has the town’s only easily-accessible public toilet.
He said that while he agreed with selling the land, he wanted to keep the property under council’s control until replacements were built.
“I just want to make sure that we will have a public toilet there, open 24 hours a day, that is going to work alright for the public,” Cr Cox said.
He said that new toilets will likely be installed as part of the redevelopment of the Montrose Town Centre, which is due to be completed in the next 18 months.
Other toilets are located at the town’s football grounds, away from the main shopping strip.
Councillor Fiona McAllister supported Cr Cox’s move, and said that keeping access to toilets in the town was critical.
“I don’t think it’s a big issue to take it off the list before we proceed to sale,” Cr McAllister said.
At the meeting, the list was amended to remove 4 Leith Road for the time being, and the remainder of the list was signed off with unanimous councillor support.
The Yarra Ranges Council will give public notice of its intention to sell the affected properties and a report on the public responses and submissions will be handed back to council for a further decision.
