Public Housing for Whitten Oval

[Sockeye Salmon]

- there's probably public housing on your very street!

OMG! OMG! OMG! Poor people in my street!!!!

Get them away from me!!!! GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!!!!

[The Coon Dog]

Open Letter to All Members

The following is an open letter to Western Bulldogs Members from HomeGround Services CEO Stephen Nash and Western Bulldogs Chief Executive Campbell Rose, in relation to a proposed social housing initiative at the Whitten Oval.

The Western Bulldogs Football Club have teamed up with leading Melbourne housing provider HomeGround Services, to develop an innovative social housing initiative known as the Bulldogs HomeGround, to be built at the ‘new’ Whitten Oval in West Footscray.

The Western Bulldogs are committed to our local community and this commitment has been demonstrated in so many ways . Whether it is through the operation of our community services arm, SpiritWest Services, the inclusion of new community facilities such as a not-for-profit child care centre or accommodating Victoria University at the ‘new’ Whitten Oval.

As the Community Club of the AFL, we see that community organisations like ourselves and HomeGround Services, can make a difference in supporting those most vulnerable in our community of the western suburbs, who don’t have a home.

We believe that the power of football has the ability to empower, motivate, inspire and ultimately change lives, while HomeGround Services have the simple mission of ending homelessness.

The meeting of our two organisations in a unique partnership means that we can develop a genuine community asset that will make a fundamental difference to the lives of many.

The problem of homelessness and lack of housing affordability is well documented.

It is estimated that in the west, encompassing Flemington, Footscray, Braybrook, Maidstone, Sunshine, Werribee and Melton, there are about 5000 people on a waiting list for public housing.

The waiting list for individuals, in some of these cases, can be indefinite. In a modern, prosperous community like Melbourne, this situation is unacceptable.

So, in February 2009, when the Australian Government released its $43 billion stimulus package, including $1.5 billion to provide about 5000 social housing units across Victoria, we saw a unique opportunity to open up our home of 126 years, to those who need one.

We plan to build two low rise buildings (no more than five stories high) to provide a mixture of accommodation types, with a capacity of up to 250 housing units to be used for a variety of purposes including:

• supported social housing for people who would otherwise be homeless
• affordable housing for low income workers in key industries such as health, community services and emergency services and;
• high quality, supported housing for older people.

To ensure the community benefits from this project, it is also proposed that we include a new indoor public swim centre and new public gymnasium.

As part of this proposal, HomeGround Services will provide the management, tenancy and support services associated with the social and affordable housing elements of the initiative, using its renowned Common Ground model.

This means that people are not merely housed and then abandoned, but they receive intensive, hands on support, to turn their lives around in a safe and secure environment that will enhance the amenity of the area.

The total development cost of the Bulldogs HomeGround initiative is estimated at about $80 million. Its construction time frame will be about two years and it is estimated that this will provide and create in the order of 2000 direct and indirect jobs.

These jobs and the prosperity they bring will be of huge benefit in the west , a region which has been hit hard by the worst economic crisis the world has seen since the Depression.

This project represents a unique window of opportunity to do something meaningful to address one of the most entrenched social problems confronting our community – homelessness.

Despite the good intentions and endeavours of all tiers of government over many years, the scourge of homelessness remains. But dealing with the problem is beyond the capacity of government alone – it requires a whole of community response.

That is why the Bulldogs HomeGround proposal has emerged. It is a creative, innovative response to the opportunity provided by the Australian Government’s stimulus package and is driven by the stated objectives of all local, State and Federal Government’s to end homelessness.

We believe the ‘new’ Whitten Oval will be an excellent place to live. The Geelong Road end of the ground where the Bulldogs HomeGround is to be built is currently just a contaminated mound of dirt.

The site is just 50 metres from West Footscray Railway Station and less than 10 kms from the central Melbourne, in the inspirational and aspirational setting of the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

It must be stressed that this project is still only a proposal and has many more hurdles to overcome before it will become a reality. It will also undoubtedly evolve, based on consultation with the community and key stakeholders.

The Western Bulldogs and HomeGround Services look forward to receiving your feedback to help shape this proposal, to contact the Club email godogs@westernbulldogs.com.au

[Remi Moses]

Fancy wanting to put people in homes . The council should just concentrat on picking up drivers for having the tamerity for parking in bus and No standing zones for longer than 90 seconds. Then telling us this is all in the aid of ''road safety''

[bornadog]

What a great initiative by the club and shame on the council for rejecting the idea.

[Prince Imperial]

It will soon become irrelevant what the Council thinks of the proposal as a Bill introduced into Parliament (the Land (Revocation of Reservations and Other Matters) Bill 2009) relieves them (at their request) over managment of the Western Oval with the responsibility to be given directly to the State Government (presumably the Department of Sustainability & Environment). This means the Council will have no power to block any development.

It is true, however, that the land on which the child care centre is being built is freehold owned by the Council and this Bill will not affect the situation there.

The goverment made it clear in the Second Reading Speech that accompanied the Bill that the land will be available for affordable housing indicating their support in principle for what our Club is proposing:

Western Oval reserve

This bill will help facilitate a $30 million redevelopment of the Western Oval reserve, also known as the David Spurling or Whitten Oval reserve, in Footscray, which is being undertaken through a partnership between the state, federal and local governments, the AFL and the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

This redevelopment will establish a range of new sporting and community facilities for Footscray, as well as providing affordable housing.

The development will include establishment of the Victoria University Learning Centre on the reserve, which will offer activities such as sports performance analysis, sports psychology, sports administration and sports science.

Currently, the Western Oval reserve is permanently reserved for recreation purposes under the Footscray (Recreation Ground) Lands Act 1968. However, the 'recreation' reservation is too limited to provide for the broad range of activities that will be undertaken following the redevelopment. This bill will revoke the permanent reservation and temporarily reserve the site for 'recreation, social and community services', which will allow the land to be used for a broad range of purposes.

The committee of management currently looking after the reserve, the Maribyrnong City Council, no longer wish to have management responsibility for this site.

This bill will remove the council as managers of the reserve, which can only be done by legislation. In addition, the bill will revoke redundant legislation in the form of the Footscray (Recreation Ground) Lands Act 1968 and the Footscray (Western Oval Reserve) Act 1981.

In conclusion, the amendments made by this bill will facilitate a number of government-supported projects, including large-scale redevelopments at Caulfield, Kardinia Oval and Western Oval, which will have wide-ranging social and economic outcomes for local communities.

http://tex.parliament.vic.gov.au/bin/texhtmlt?form=VicHansard.dumpall&db=hansard91&dodraft=0&hous e=ASSEMBLY&speech=5911&activity=Second+Reading&title=LAND+%2 8REVOCATION+OF+RESERVATIONS+AND+OTHER+MATTERS%29+BILL&date1= 17&date2=September&date3=2009&query=true%0a%09and+%28+activi ty+contains+'Second+Reading'+%29%0a%09and+%28+hdate.hdate_3+ =+2009+%29%0a%09and+%28+hdate.hdate_2+contains+'September'+% 29%0a%09and+%28+hdate.hdate_1+=+17+%29%0a%09and+%28+house+co ntains+'ASSEMBLY'+%29%0a

An article appeared today in the Maribyrnong Leader re this Bill and the Mayor's objections:

http://maribyrnong-leader.whereilive...-whitten-oval/

This article confirms that it is planned the State Department of Education will become a tenant in the new offices at the Oval.

[AndrewP6]

This article confirms that it is planned the State Department of Education will become a tenant in the new offices at the Oval.

Really? My employer! Perhaps they'll offer special deals to teachers who are Bulldog members....****wishfully thinking***

[bornadog]

This article confirms that it is planned the State Department of Education will become a tenant in the new offices at the Oval.

The council is only pissed off because they weren't consulted and weren't part of the decision making.

[The Coon Dog]

The council is only pissed off because they weren't consulted and weren't part of the decision making.

What annoys me is that the Mayor comes out in the local media from time to time to bag the club, then fronts up on the family day as though he's the number one ticket holder!

[LostDog]

From what i have seen of that tool i don't like him
will probably put those parking cameras in the Whitten Oval Car park

[LostDoggy]

OMG! OMG! OMG! Poor people in my street!!!!

Get them away from me!!!! GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!!!!

dickhead.

[AndrewP6]

What annoys me is that the Mayor comes out in the local media from time to time to bag the club, then fronts up on the family day as though he's the number one ticket holder!

Pardon my ignorance (I'm not a western suburb local!) - is the Mayor that bloke at the family day who was almost shouting into the mic, calling everyone "friends"??? IIRC, a very over-the-top kind of character... and he bags the club every other day of the year?

[LostDoggy]

???? Clarke is his name

[LostDoggy]

Good idea.

They will sell 15 of these on Day 1 to the 15 other clubs so they can watch closed training sessions.

We're half-way there already.

[BulldogBelle]

Hmmm, looks like Maribyrnong City Council is getting a little narky....

Charlene Gatt |Star News Group |27th October 2009

MARIBYRNONG City Council is keen to be reinstated as the responsible authority for Whitten Oval, as the debate over a public housing development heats up.

The council will ask State Planning Minister Justin Madden to reinstate it as the responsible authority and is requesting a meeting with the full board of the Western Bulldogs to discuss plans for the proposed $80 million development, which is earmarked to occupy the southern end of Whitten Oval.

The development, which is currently being considered by the State Government, is expected to include a mix of affordable housing, social housing, transitional housing and crisis accommodation.

It is likely to be built in two high-rises, which would house up to 250 units over five floors.

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article....

[comrade]

Hmmm, looks like Maribyrnong City Council is getting a little narky....

What's new?