“The council has no current plans to acquire the site and based on our knowledge of the valuation it is well beyond our financial capacity given other competing priorities,” Mr Henderson said.
“Even if the value were discounted for ‘community use’ it is still a substantial piece of real estate and the buildings are not suited to the needs of a modern growing community.
“The council’s investment in land and facilities needs to align with the town’s residential growth to the east.
“If the land is not retained for public use then a rezoning is a logical step so that it can be developed in a way that complements the surrounding land use.”
A spokesperson from The Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) confirmed that Moira Shire Council and other “government agencies” will be given the First Right of Refusal (FROR) to acquire the land.
At this stage Moira Shire Council can express an interest in purchasing all or part of the site for community purposes. Should the council do so, then a valuation of the relevant site will be arranged.
A valuation for community purposes involves a discount from the market valuation, which is assessed by the Valuer-General Victoria.
The VSBA also confirmed the Strategic Crown Land Assessment of the Crown land parcels has been completed on the site. This assessment is of the Crown land section of the site, and does not include the area containing the buildings.
“We recently consulted with Land Use Victoria (LVU) in relation to this site given that it has historical significance to the local community,” the spokesperson said.
“LUV has been briefed with information regarding the site.”
A Department of Education and Training (DET) spokesperson said the Department understands the strong local community interest in the former Yarrawonga Primary School, and the site’s community value and heritage significance.
“That’s why we’re working closely with the community, Moira Shire Council and other interested parties on how best to utilise this site in the future,” The DET spokesperson said.
“The Yarrawonga Primary School site was declared surplus for educational purposes following the relocation of students and staff to Yarrawonga P-12 College in 2018.
“The future of the Yarrawonga Primary School site is still being determined in accordance with relevant department policy. The department will continue to monitor and maintain the school site until a decision is made on its future use.”
The former school site includes both Crown land and Department owned land.
If the land is not required by another government agency or the local council, it will be rezoned and progressed to a public sale in accordance with government policy.
A public meeting organised by the Friends of Community and Town Hall Action Group had the acquisition of the site as a key item on the meeting’s agenda. In front of more than 100 members of the community a motion was passed to request Moira Shire Council to negotiate to acquire the former Yarrawonga Primary School site for community use.The group believes that Moira Shire Council should “bargain hard” for the old primary school site as 11 hectares of Crown land (at Victoria Park) designated for parks and recreation for the community was transferred to the education department in return for the transfer of only 2.5 hectares of education department land to the shire.
The action group strongly believes this should be considered when determining the discounted value of the site for council in the FROR process.