Call for City of Greater Bendigo to purchase land, build a park at Strathfieldsaye

Mr Johanson, who has lived in the suburb for more than 30 years, said it was positive to see important projects receive funding in the City's draft budget, however a key priority should be purchasing six acres of vacant, privately owned land, stretching from Ryalls Lane to the Strathfieldsaye Recreation Reserve.

"Strathfieldsaye, despite all the growth and what have you, doesn't actually have a park or anywhere that people driving through town could pull in and have a sandwich or have a walk around the path," he said.

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"That land in the last couple of months has come on the market...this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"It hasn't been on the market for 100 years, council should buy this and we've got a six-acre park, smack bang in the middle of Strathfieldsaye. It would be a fantastic, new facility."

Mr Johanson said if the land was purchased by a developer, houses would be at risk of flooding.

Strathfieldsaye has been impacted by floods due to both the Sheepwash and Emu Creeks running through the suburb.

"The whole thing is pretty flood prone and it seems you may be able to put one house on it if you're lucky," Mr Johanson said.

The land surrounds a single private property and the site of the old Strathfieldsaye Shire Hall, which included the 1^st Strathfieldsaye Scouts.

In March, the Scout group received $250,000 to relocate to the Strathfieldsaye Recreation Reserve.

The City's draft budget, released last week, included funding for the ongoing Strathfieldsaye Community Hub at Club Court and money for the multi-year Strathfieldsaye Town Square project, which would see land north of Wellington Street consolidated for retail development a community space.

The draft budget also featured money to build an underpass at Emu Creek, something the Strathfieldsaye and District Community Enterprise had been calling for for many years, Mr Johanson said.

Residents have previously labelled the Emu Creek Bridge at Strathfieldsaye Road a "nightmare" during busy times.

Strathfieldsaye had a population of 6850 at the 2021 Census, and according to the City of Greater Bendigo was estimated to increase to more than 12,500 by 2036.

Mr Johanson said the City would "regret" it if it didn't purchase the six-acre block.

"With the developments going on out here, to me just makes it even more important that while we've got the chance to create some public open space, we can't afford not to," he said.

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The Strathfieldsaye and District Community Enterprise was willing to make a "significant contribution" to the purchase of the land, Mr Johanson said, and would establish a committee of management of a potential park.

The land was being sold by Tweed Sutherland First National and was listed between $750,000 and $775,000.

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