Westgate Park appeal

The volunteers responsible for restoring Westgate Park have appealed to new managers City of Melbourne for funds and help with ongoing issues, including rough sleepers, in the 36-hectare space.

Lyn Allison, president of the group Westgate Biodiversity: Bili Nursery & Landcare, addressed the Future Melbourne Committee’s special budget meeting on May 12 with a submission on behalf of the group.

Ms Allison said Westgate Biodiversity had been “delighted” to have the council take over management of Westgate Park on January 1 this year and noted maintenance work was now being done by contractors.

However, the volunteers were disappointed by a lack of funding in the budget for “urgent work” at the Fishermans Bend park, meaning another whole year would pass before it could be carried out.

“There are some urgent and worthy initiatives that we'd like council to consider,” Ms Allison said.

These included financial assistance for greenhouse-style “polytunnels” to replace the glasshouses at the current Williamstown Rd nursery site which couldn’t be moved to the Wharf Rd triangle location where the nursery would be relocated sometime before December.

The group also wanted to see “a modest upgrade of signage on main routes in the park and better displays at the entrance”, she said, along with the creation of proper bike paths that would be incorporated into the City of Melbourne’s cycling network, and, before any further changes to the park were made, a baseline ecological survey to capture the “extraordinary biodiversity” there.

Ms Allison also said Westgate Biodiversity wanted to be included in the council's deliberations on the Greenline Project for a 4km stretch of plantings and promenades along the river’s northern bank, and she appealed for its assistance in managing issues associated with people sleeping rough in the park, which had seen fires being lit and logs and benches moved around over the past year or so.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece thanked Ms Allison for her “many, many years of advocacy” and volunteer work and said the council would “duly note everything submitted” and that he looked forward to hearing a response to the requests.