By BRIDGET COOK
THE community has shown its disapproval of changing a boundary and renaming its suburb Casey Fields, with a number of people taking action to ensure it doesn’t go ahead.
Villawood Properties, which owns Pasadena estate, will lodge a formal submission to the City of Casey against the estate being included in the new suburb boundary, particularly because it was only made aware of the plan last month.
A petition, with hundreds of signatures, is also circulating around the Selandra Rise, Cascades on Clyde and Pasadena estates against the boundary change and name change.
After a request in 2010 from some community members to relocate the existing boundary between Cranbourne East and Clyde North, the council investigated the possibility of renaming Cranbourne East and part of Clyde North.
The current boundary between Cranbourne East, Clyde North and Clyde does not follow a distinguishing feature and, in some areas, follows boundary fences.
The council engaged the community in both 2011 and 2013 with a survey asking residents of their preferred suburb name, with Casey Fields coming out on top both times.
At a Casey council meeting in November, councillors resolved to put out a public notice to inform residents of its intention to rename the new suburb as Casey Fields, which would come under the Cranbourne postcode of 3977.
Part of Clyde was only included within in new suburb last month.
Villawood Properties executive director Tony Johnson said the company purchased the parcel of land for Pasadena because of the Clyde address.
“The development is very closely linked to the Clyde township and has been sold to all residents with a Clyde address.
“A very high percentage of buyers have purchased at Pasadena rather than with competitors, because of the very highly sought after Clyde address.
“This proposed change in address from Clyde to Casey Fields would have a very negative impact on existing purchasers.
“Villawood Properties will lodge a formal submission to the City of Casey on behalf of its current and future residents on 13 December.”
Selandra Rise property owner Nathan, who started the resident petition, said the majority of people living in Clyde and Clyde North were against the name change.
“We have purchased land thinking that we have brought land in Clyde North,” he said.
“We feel if we do have a name change to Casey Fields, it will be linked to Cranbourne.
“With Cranbourne there is that perceived negative stigma.
“We feel as if the sale of our homes and investments will be impacted if the name change is the outcome.”
Nathan said the petition was not only against the name change but called for the council to align the current boundary between Cranbourne East and Clyde North to the newly constructed Casey Fields Boulevard.
He said residents wanted properties to the east of this dividing road to be retained as Clyde North and everything west to be Cranbourne East.
Nathan said anyone who wanted to sign the petition could so at the Selandra Community Place.
City of Casey manager of property, rates and valuations Peter Gillieron said that after further consideration, the council included Pasadena in the boundary last month to extend the proposed boundary in-line with the major road network.
“This decision resulted in Clyde, to the west of the Clyde-Five Ways Road, being incorporated into the proposed name change,” he said.
“The major arterial road in the area is considered to be the appropriate suburban boundary that also meets the requirements of the Guidelines under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998.
“Council is inviting residents to make a submission about the proposed suburb name change until 13 December.
“Following this date council will consider all the responses before making a final decision in early 2014.”
