Wyndham council has received a petition calling for the municipality’s proposed Indian Cultural Precinct to be located in Tarneit, rather than Wyndham Vale.
The petition, signed by 191 people and received at last week’s council meeting, states the Indian Cultural Precinct should be built at the Wyndham Village Shopping Centre in Tarneit, as opposed to President’s Park in Wyndham Vale.
It states that out of all Wyndham residents who identify as Indian, the majority live in Tarneit.
In December last year, the council issued a feasibility report that identified President’s Park as the preferred location for the precinct, in the form of a multicultural sculpture and performing arts park.
The December report came two years after the state government allocated $50,000 for the council to conduct a feasibility study into an Indian precinct and $500,000 for its construction.
According to the 2016 census, 7548 Tarneit residents identify as being from an Indian background and 3145 were born in India. In comparison, 2367 Wyndham Vale residents identified as Indian and 994 said they were born in India.
The petition states many Indian community traders had businesses based in Tarneit and the Wyndham Village Shopping Centre, and described the area as a “classic reflection of Indian culture and tradition”.
Wyndham councillors last week voted to note the petition and advise the lead petitioner they had done so.
The meeting agenda said the council had sent its report into the potential location of the Indian precinct to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs in December.
“At the time of writing this report, council has not received a response from the minister about his intentions for a potential Indian Cultural Precinct in Wyndham,” the agenda stated.
“As this is a state government initiative, council cannot make a further determination about next steps.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
