Vic: Battle over sale of Kew Cottages
MELBOURNE, Aug 10 AAP - Hundreds of residents fighting to save Melbourne's Kew Cottagesaccommodation for people with disabilities rallied today to oppose the sale of the facility.
The Victorian government-owned Kew Cottages site has provided accommodation for peoplewith intellectual disabilities for 116 years.
But under a proposed housing redevelopment, dormitories on the 27-hectare site wouldbe demolished, and the land sold to developers to create homes for the general public.
Kew Cottages Coalition spokeswoman Louise Godwin said the residents should not be relocatedaway from their families.
"We want these people in our community," she said.
"Some of them have lived here for more than 40 years and they belong here.
"We are hoping to make (Victorian Premier) Steve Bracks listen today and understandthat there is doubt and concern and uncertainty over the sale of this site.
"This is about the people. This site has always served people with intellectual disabilitiesand what we are fighting for is for them to remain at this site."
Under the proposed redevelopment, 100 intellectually disabled residents would remainin purpose-built housing at the Kew Cottages site.
The remaining 380 residents would be relocated into local community housing over thenext four to eight years.
For years, parents and friends of residents had complained facilities were unhygienicand dilapidated.
In 1996, concerns escalated after nine residents died in a fire at the cottages.
Opposition community services spokeswoman Helen Shardey said the residents of Kew Cottagesshould be a given a choice where they lived.
"This is about putting the residents first and for some of them to move and be integratedinto the community would be very cruel," she said.
AAP kh/gfr/cat/bwl
KEYWORD: KEW LEAD
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий