Inglewood residents oppose plans to demolish old ambulance station

Paramedics in the regional town recently moved into a new facility, adjacent to the old building.

A state government spokesperson said safety was a factor in the decision to demolish the former station.

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"Following much consideration and with community safety in mind, a decision was made to demolish the old Inglewood ambulance branch due to the condition of the building," the spokesperson said.

"Throughout the construction process, we continued to monitor and maintain the old building to ensure the safety of our paramedics while work was underway to prepare and build the new station."

As temporary fencing was placed around the facility and demolition imminent, impassioned Inglewood residents gathered on Monday morning.

Resident Bev Taig said a petition to save the building had been signed by 1000 people.

"We didn't have anyone hardly at all that said no," she said. "They were horrified by it, really, everybody was.

"We are country people. We are pretty practical; don't really care about having new buildings, we like to use what we've got."

Another resident Colleen Condliffe said the old building could be used by community groups, or overflow offices for Inglewood and District Health Services staff.

Ms Condliffe said the state government's plans to "plant lawn" at the site were "criminal".

Nationals Member for Northern Victoria region Gaelle Broad has tabled two petitions to state parliament.

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"At a time when building costs are going up and materials are in short supply it seems sensible to make use of the building, which I am told is in good condition, rather than knock it down and take the scraps to the tip just to plant lawn on the site," she said.

"I have asked the Minister (for Health) to step in to delay the demolition and facilitate a meeting between Ambulance Victoria and the Inglewood and Districts Health Service to see if a more amenable solution can be found."

According to the state government, about $279 million has been spent since 2015 to upgrade and rebuild ambulance stations across Victoria.

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