Proposed purchase of 13 Green Street, Healesville

13 Green Street to be purchased by Council

After overwhelming community support, the space will remain public open space forever, after signing an agreement with VicTrack to purchase the land.

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Project Background

Council is looking to purchase 13 Green Street, Healesville, a 1695m2 section of vacant land.

The land, which had been formerly managed by Council under a lease until 2018, has been the site of a monthly Community market and is a popular meeting and gathering spot adjacent to the often-busy commercial strip.

Recent negotiation has seen VicTrack making a formal offer for Council to purchase the land for $675,000 plus GST. This represents a discount of 50% on the current market value and carries the provision that the land is used as public open space forever. The proposed purchase would be funded entirely using Open Space Funds available to Ryrie ward.

Council now seeks your feedback on the potential purchase.

You'll need to sign up to Shaping or log in if you are already a member to leave your feedback, as there's a limit of one submission per person.

Timeline

Timeline item 1 - complete

Initial community consultation
Timeline item 2 - complete

Council consideration of feedback

Approved by Council 25 July 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

What would happen to the land if Council didn’t purchase it?

Victrack has undertaken planning procedures to have the land re-zoned to a commercial zone. If Council chose not to purchase the land, Victrack has advised that it would sell the land on the open market, which would likely result in the the land being developed for commercial purposes meaning the opportunity for community open space on this site would be lost.

How will Council use the land?

The land would be used as community open space.

The Victrack offer to sell land to Council at a 50% discounted rate comes with a condition of a restrictive covenant to be placed on the land to ensure it's kept as community open space forever.

How will Council fund this purchase?

Council proposes to use the Public Open Space fund for Ryrie Ward to cover the entire purchase price of the land.

This fund is generated by contributions from developers who have subdivided land in the Ryrie Ward.

What is this background of this vacant land?

Previously the site has been used as a railyard and motor mechanic. Environmental testing has found moderate levels of contamination on the land due to these previous uses, which are acceptable for commercial or recreational uses but would require further investigation if a ‘sensitive’ use of the land was proposed (such as for child-care or residential development).

If Council chose to purchase the land, the effect of applying a restrictive covenant and/or re-zoning to Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) would limit the opportunity for any ‘sensitive’ use to be inadvertently applied to the site in the future.

Contact Us

Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:

Name	Craig Sutherland
Phone	1300 368 333
Email	propertyandleasing@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Website	www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au

Proposed purchase of 13 Green Street, Healesville

13 Green Street to be purchased by Council

Project Background

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