Heat on methane estate masterplan

By Bridget Brady
CASEY council has fast-tracked the Brookland Greens master plan by at least five years, with work on the revised plan to start in the next few months.
A member of the Brookland Greens Community Reference Group, Owen Ashworth, said the master plan could be the key to restoring community confidence in the estate after last year’s methane gas debacle, and allow Brookland Greens to be viewed “in a whole new light”.
An outdoor barbecue picnic area, footbridge, paths, the extension of a half basketball court to a full court, and an extension of a playground are part of the draft plan the group lobbied for.
The council says the plan has been brought forward five to 10 years to “help build resilience, encourage greater community connection and over time help restore pride in the Brookland Greens estate”.
Mr Ashworth said members of the group campaigned for some of the infrastructure in the plan, and looked forward to seeing its fruition.
“We need to build confidence because we need something to look forward to. Cranbourne needs a healthy and vibrant Brookland Greens,” Mr Ashworth said.
“We need Brookland Greens to recover for everybody.”
The estate is home to several thousand people in more than 900 homes.
“Brookland Greens was one of the first places people looked to build in Cranbourne, then that (methane gas leak) happened, so we need to build it back again. It always was a good place to live, and we still think it is.”
Members of the group meet each fortnight and the City of Casey council chairs the meetings.
“I think we’ve been very well treated by Casey council. They have been very sympathetic about improvements and prepared to look at our ideas,” Mr Ashworth said.
The revised plan is on public display until 6 April at council service centres.