Casey councillor Geoff Ablett and Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne director Chris Russell want to turn a parcel of land in Hampton Park into a bushland. 86322 Picture: Stewart Chambers
By Bridget Cook
CASEY councillor Geoff Ablett will propose an idea at next week’s council meeting to help grow a greener future in Casey.
Cr Ablett plans to raise a motion for council officers to investigate the possibility of creating a fenced bushland environment on a large parcel of land in Hampton Park.
The 80 hectares of land is located at the corner of South Gippsland Highway and Hallam Road and creates the buffer area from the Hallam Road landfill.
Cr Ablett said the council would take over the land in about 30 years, but he wanted council to plan for the future before that.
“It would be ideal to get an interim agreement where we could start planting trees on the land,” he said.
“Then when we take it over, it could be a good open space for the community.
“This could mean commencement of a plan, then work on a yearly basis could take place.
“A native vegetation setting could commence a lot sooner than 30 years.
“This would mean the possibility of having much of the site planted with thousands of native trees a lot sooner than 30 years.
“These trees would then be in a mature state when the land is taken over.
“It could be a good bushland area where people could go for walks, have a barbecue with undercover areas with hopefully some active animals there.”
Cr Ablett said he believed the land would be suited to a bushland space as it’s next the landfill.
“I’d be dead against building houses near old tips,” he said. “Being a buffer area, we wouldn’t be able to build houses there.
“With so much development going on around the area, we have to plan for these kind of open spaces.
“I grew up in the bush and it would be fantastic to have another great nature bushland for all residents, kids and adults, to experience.”
Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne director Chris Russell said he would support the move.
“Parkland and reserves are the lungs of this city,” he said. “The gardens support exploring options for greening this site.”
Cr Ablett will raise the motion at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
