Thousands of apartments have gone up in Kensington, but the promised open space along the creek is still locked up behind chain-link fences and filled with industrial rubbish. The Council has plans for how to turn the area along Moonee Ponds Creek into a public park, but it is being held up by state government bureaucracy.
It’s ridiculous that blockages in the state Labor government are preventing this area being turned into a park for residents and for flood mitigation, when the solution should be simple. Join me in asking the Minister to act now so the park can be built and enjoyed.
Open letter to the Minister for Planning
Dear Minister Kilkenny,
As residents and community members in Kensington, we write to urgently call on you to unlock publicly owned land along the Moonee Ponds Creek and deliver the open space our growing community has been promised.
Thousands of apartments have been built in Kensington, yet the land along the creek remains locked up behind chain-linked fences and inaccessible to the public. The community has been promised parkland here, but it is still not delivered.
We understand that the City of Melbourne has a clear plan to transform this corridor into public open space, including space to relax, enjoy nature, walking and cycling connections and flood mitigation infrastructure. Funding is already being raised through developer contributions, with millions collected from new developments in the area.
We understand that what’s holding this up is a state government failure to resolve a land dispute with VicTrack. This bureaucratic deadlock over land ownership, zoning, and cost, is stopping a much-needed park from being built while thousands of new residents move into the area without adequate green space.
This was predictable and avoidable. The state Labor government has allowed dense development without delivering the infrastructure to match.
The state government is now at a critical decision point. Planning decisions before you, including the Development Contribution Scheme and Public Acquisition Overlay, will determine whether Council can secure this land. If these are delayed or watered down, the delivery of this open space will be pushed even further out of reach.
We need urgent action. We urge you to finalise and protect the Development Contribution Scheme so adequate funds can be collected, support the Public Acquisition Overlay to reserve this land for public use, and work with VicTrack to enable timely transfer of the land to the City of Melbourne
Kensington residents should not be denied access to green space because of government inaction.
Minister, we urge you to act now.
Sincerely,
Residents, families and community members of Kensington
