BY Christine de kock
MARIBYRNONG City Council last Tuesday approved the planning application for an aged-care facility to be built in Buckley St, Footscray on the former Footscray Swim Centre site.
Councillors had deferred approval for the permit at the February council meeting following a request from Save Footscray Pool supporters.
The supporters wanted time to negotiate with the Salvation Army to find an alternative location for the aged-care facility.
They also raised concerns that a historic waterway, said to run under the site, could be of significance to the Aboriginal community and argued that if such was the case the existing pool should not be demolished.
However, after talking to supporters the Salvation Army did not accept an alternative location for the aged-care facility.
Meagan Golding, interim chief executive officer for the Wurundjeri tribe land and compensation heritage council, responded in an email to Cr Janis Rossiter regarding concerns that the site was of historical value.
Mayor Michael Clarke read the letter at the council meeting.
Ms Golding said the Wurundjeri council supported the view that if “the ground disturbing activity” was to take place where there might be Aboriginal artefacts “that is a sensitive landscape such as a former creek line and area of minimal previous disturbance”, then a heritage impact assessment should be conducted.
A council officer at the meeting listed the number of works that have taken place at the site in the past 80 years.
He said there had been significant disturbance at the site and as such there would be no remnant artefacts or any evidence of pre-European occupation.
He said there had been extensive cutting of the site to enable the railway line to run to the rear of the former pool, the Footscray main drain was built through the site and in effect “barrel drained the small creek running through the site known as Billy Button Creek”.
Other works included the building of the 50-metre pool in 1929 and the library in 1942.
But Cr Rossiter, a Save Footscray Pool supporter, still called for a heritage impact assessment of the site and voted against the planning application.
Cr Clarke reiterated throughout the debate that Ms Golding had called for an assessment if there was “minimal previous disturbance”.
Councillors Janet Rice and Dina Lynch, who campaigned to prevent the sale of the former pool site, both said holding up approval for the aged-care planning application was not appropriate.
Cr Rice said the planning application process was not an opportunity to save the pool but should be viewed as a planning application.
Cr Catherine Cumming also voted against the application, concerned that the aged-care residents’ safety would be at risk due to truck and car traffic on Buckley St.
Cr Michelle MacDonald said the Salvation Army was in the business of aged care, and she would rely on their opinion as to whether the location of the facility was safe for residents.
Cr Joseph Cutri said he supported the application. “Some people have a passion for swimming pools, some people for Aboriginal rights and I have a passion for the financially and socially disadvantaged.”
The aged-care facility will accommodate 120 residents and will generally care for men aged over 60 who are marginalised, financially and socially disadvantaged.
Development will take place at the rear of the existing facade of the former Footscray Swim Centre.
The application was supported by five of the seven councillors.
