By Charlene Gatt
AN ELEVENTH hour intervention has saved the Maidstone Community Hall from being sold.
In a meeting last week, councillors went against an officer recommendation to sell the site to one of eight parties that registered eight expressions of interest.
Instead, the council will explore further options for the site – but has warned that redevelopment could be years away.
The council voted to put the dilapidated hall on the market in September last year after a report called the site “unsafe and beyond economical repair”.
The site, which used to belong to the Brimbank City Council, houses a Meals on Wheels kitchen, child care centre and tennis courts. It has sat empty for the past 12 years.
The sale received strong opposition from residents Barry Armstrong, Alan Ross, Natasha Mitchell and Katerina Gaita. “I would personally regret robbing the residents of this site,” Cr Carter said.
The alternative motion received applause from the gallery.
