Building at bursting point

COMMUNITY service organisations are battling for space in Cranbourne’s Old Shire Offices as pressure mounts to squeeze another group in to the already overflowing building.
Casey Council is planning to grant a licence to Windemere Child and Family Services for the use of two rooms in the former post office despite concerns from existing user groups that the centre is at capacity.
The Old Shire Offices is home to Cranbourne Preschool, Cranbourne Information and Support Service and Cranbourne Family Resource Centre.
Councillors at the last council meeting for 2005 argued that the centre was suffering from a severe lack of office and parking space.
They said to grant a lease to an additional group would create a traffic nightmare and place an enormous amount of pressure on the area.
“There are already parking problems at the centre and now all of a sudden council want to put another service organisation in there without asking anyone,” Balla Balla Ward councillor Colin Butler said.
“Everyone will be up in arms.
“Council officers are saying that this is the only suitable place in Cranbourne to house Windemere, which I find very hard to believe.
“There is just not enough room in the Old Shire Offices,” he said.
Mayor Kevin Bradford said the Cranbourne Information and Support Service was struggling for room to accommodate its growing staff and would soon need to look at extending.
He said the service had recently received council funding to employ extra counsellors but was having trouble finding space to house them.
“The current premises is not large enough so we need to look at extra methods to increase the size of the facility.
“The CISS would prefer to stay where it is but they acknowledge that the current space is not big enough for the level of demand,” he said.
Cr Bradford said council officers would investigate the possibility of extending or relocating the CISS offices.
“They may need to expand internally or extend outside. Or another user may have to relocate.
“But that is what the report will look at and if the CISS has to move they will accept that,” he said.
CISS manager Leanne Petrides said parking was a huge problem for all user groups at the Old Shire Offices and was sceptical that the centre could accommodate another organisation.
“To have another group here would place a strain on carparking, toilet facilities and office space.
“We are getting busier and busier and have run out of space to fit all our services.
“We haven’t thought of relocation. To us, extending is the first and most obvious answer.
“But it is a very tricky situation and council will need to look at the needs of the whole complex,” she said.
Councillors agreed to defer their decision to grant a licence to Windemere for the use of two rooms at the Old Shire Offices.
A report will now come back to the council on how suitable car parking can be provided at the facility to overcome the current shortage.