By JESSE GRAHAM
Ghost town fears prompt push to expand Coldstream…
RESIDENTS have vowed to drive on with their campaign to build more homes in an effort to stop Coldstream from turning into a ghost town.
About 25 residents and council representatives met last Wednesday at Coldstream Community Centre to look at ways to improve the town.
The 23 October meeting follows on from a community stakeholders’ meeting on 10 July which heard that Coldstream’s population could fall by the year 2030 and raised proposals for the town’s improvement.
The major idea which came from the meeting was to expand the Urban Growth Boundary within Coldstream and to remove the Green Wedge Zoning to unlock more housing potential, as there are currently no new lots available.
Coldstream Timber and Hardware’s Mario Galteri has pushed for the change to the growth boundaries and said that more people have come on board with the idea since the July meeting.
“More and more people are advocating for the expansion of Coldstream,” he said.
“Most people are saying we need to revitalise the town and get more population – the only way we can have more population is to expand the Urban Growth Boundary.”
Mr Galteri said that other ideas to bring people to the town included a proposal for more community events such as the outdoor cinema, which will be run in Margaret Lewis Reserve on Friday 8 November.
Visitors were given the chance to formulate ideas in groups and Mr Galteri said that numerous groups put forward the idea of eventually re-opening Coldstream railway station.
Ryrie Ward Councillor Fiona McAllister said the issue of the Urban Growth Boundaries was something to be discussed in detail in the long-term, as the community remains divided.
“Ultimately, for the Urban Growth Boundary to be changed, we’d need a formal process to happen at council and at the decision of the planning minister,” she said.
“I don’t think we’re at that point yet – there’s a lot of support for it in the Coldstream community, but there are lots that don’t support it.”
“The State Government has declared no intention to establish a station in Coldstream.”
Cr McAllister said there were short and medium-term goals for the town that can be focused on, with conversation about making more vibrant clubs and organisations and about bringing services back to the area.
“There’s real concern about the decline in total services,” she said.
She said Coldstream formerly had a practising doctor and petrol station, but that both services had since ceased in the town.
A number of speakers were at the meeting, including Yarra Ranges Council’s Community Development Officers Simon Williams and Chris Riseley, Executive Officer of Social Planning and Development Isha Scott, Consultant Kimbra White, Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve’s Morris Maxwell and Cr McAllister.
Throughout the meeting, Cr McAllister said the visions people put forward about the town’s future may have been different, but shared an overall theme.
“The general view was that our vision for Coldstream in 10 years is a place that’s energetic, that people want to live and where people want to stop and spend some time,” she said.
“Where there was great diversity was about how we make that happen.”
She said the outdoor cinema event would be the next opportunity for community members to come together and talk about their ideas.
