EXCLUSIVE
Wyndham council is refusing to reveal how much it paid for the former Werribee Hyundai site in Cherry Street.
The council bought the land at 37 Cherry Street, Werribee, in December last year but has refused to reveal the price tag for the 3200- square-metre block.
Sources have told Star Weekly the council was likely to have paid $4.8 million for the site.
It is also understood the council bought two adjoining lots for about $300,000 each.
CBD Landowners Group member Lindsay Ingram said he was concerned that the council was keeping quiet on how much money it spent.
“We have expressed concerns about the price they have paid for the land,” Mr Ingram said.
“They haven’t got value for money. We think they’ve paid too much.”
The council said it bought the land because it is strategically located between the current CBD area and the western edge of a future CBD expansion, and is also in a prime position to encourage development between Cherry Street and the civic centre.
Chief executive Kerry Thompson said the acquisition was largely “future-focused” and the site could serve a number of purposes in years to come. However, it would most likely be initially used as a single-storey carpark.
“The exact nature and operational details of the carpark, as well as the overall direction for car parking in the CBD, will be informed by the council’s car parking strategy, which is currently being developed,” Ms Thompson said.
Mr Ingram said the landowners group had concerns about people using the site for parking, fearing this would lead to increased congestion in Cherry Street.
However, Werribee Chamber of Commerce president Tonia Tribe said she welcomed the council’s purchase, saying the site would provide temporary relief to parking problems in Werribee’s CBD.
“Anything the council does to create new car parking is welcome. We need an immediate solution to an on going and important issue,” she said.
