Elsie Lange
A master plan for the development of the old Kyneton Primary School into a creative precinct is ringing “alarm bells” for residents.
The plan, released on July 8, is the latest chapter of long-running concern over the development and is open for community feedback until the end of the month.
However, Kyneton and District Town Square Co-op chair Rob Bakes said he’s concerned about the length and medium of community consultation on the plan.
“They’ve [Working Heritage] given us three weeks of consultation, then it closes off,” Mr Bakes said.
“That means we haven’t got time to go back to the community and ask them again about the plan and then the co-op put in a submission … so that the community’s voice can be heard properly.
“Not just ticks on [an online] survey.”
The masterplan is being developed by future site operator Working Heritage and local architect Winwood McKenzie.
A Working Heritage spokesperson said the master plan is “one step in an ongoing conversation with the community”, as activities, tenancies, uses and users for the site are determined over the course of 2022 and into the future.
The spokesperson said as well as online consultation, people could attend a drop-in session at the site, from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, July 23.
“However, this is not just about one day or one month. We’re in this for the long-term and our door is open to all community groups,” the spokesperson said.
While Mr Bakes said the co-op was in support of some of the plan, concerns raised with Working Heritage leading up to its release had been ignored – such as issues around car parking and the removal of a community garden.
“The main things we’ve lost [include] the concept of a town square, they’ve put a carpark in it, that goes completely against what people envisage … we don’t want cars in there,” Mr Bakes said.
He said the co-op was concerned the community would be left behind as tourism became a focus of the precinct.
“This is supposed to be a community hub, not just a tourist precinct … the alarm bells ring when they don’t put the community gardens there,” Mr Bakes said.
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