A secret deal between the State Government and local Council will see Monash Council accept $21m to relocate Boroondara Tennis Tournament Complex to Glen Waverley Golf Course so the North East Link freeway interchange can be built.
This decision was made in confidential business without any consultation of the local community or sporting users and will come at a cost of $5.77m to Monash Taxpayers through additional council funding.
This will come at a huge loss for the Monash Community. The plans include clearing 3.4 hectares of green space, demolition of the Halycon dementia facility, and the loss of established trees & bird life as the green open spaces of the Glen Waverley Golf Course Driving Range is converted into 18 hard surface tennis courts.
Consequently local residents can expect an enormous increase in traffic and noise in the area. In addition the demolition of the Halycon dementia facility is wasteful and most importantly impacts dementia patients who value continuity and familiarity.
There has been no business case or environmental report provided as yet, and council is now pressuring local community tennis clubs to relocate to this bigger tournament scale complex. What will happen to the small community connections at these clubs which make it a safe a fun environment for adults and children to learn and play.
This wasn’t good enough for the Boroondara, Manningham, Banyule and Whitehorse Councils who took North East Link Project to the Supreme Court. So why is it good enough for Monash?
The local Government Act 2020 states that Councils need to consult with their community before making decisions of this type in a transparent way. The community was only consulted after the deal was signed.