By Tania Martin
THE stage is now set for Monbulk’s long-awaited $6 million community hub.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges last Tuesday (9 September) unanimously approved a planning application for the hub, at 21 Main Street, Monbulk.
Plans include the demolition of the current community centre in Main Street and the Senior Citizen Centre in Moores Road.
The idea to build the community hub was born more than 30 years ago but it was only recently that plans started to take shape.
It all began in 2003 when Monbulk Primary School received $200,000 from the State Government for a library, but at the time it was felt the cash would be better spent on a community centre.
The school, local community groups and the shire then joined together to develop a plan for a hub.
The project has also received support from both State and Federal Governments worth more than $3 million.
The long-awaited project is expected to start a revolution in ‘hubs’ across the state.
It’s the first of its kind for the shire, bringing together services for young and old.
The centre will house a children’s library, community reading room, day care, maternal and child health services and a community link.
Spaces for the heritage society, seniors and other community groups have also been made available.
The council last week approved the plans despite receiving three objections to the project.
Objector Ross Whitford said the council had failed to consult the community.
But Chandler Ward councillor Graham Warren said there had been extensive consultation with the community and stake holder groups.
“This was a vision driven by the community,” he said.
Mr Whitford also accused the school of pushing its own agenda for the hub.
But school principal Ray Yates said the school could have easily gone ahead with its own project five years ago.
“We wanted to build something that everyone could enjoy and use,” he said.
Mr Yates said the hub project was about the whole community coming together in a central environment.
He said Monbulk was paving the way for the community hub concept in Melbourne and across the shire.
Cr Warren said infrastructure costs of keeping old, outdated buildings was one of the shire’s biggest liabilities.
He said by building hubs that provides one building to be used by community groups would stop council throwing money away on old and decrepit buildings.
