A super-majority of residents at 29 Crown Street, Flemington, have signed a petition demanding the government halt its plan to demolish their home.
Just shy of seventy percent of residents released a collective statement asking the Housing Minister to provide ‘proper evidence’ of why the building needs to go down. ‘Without this,’ they say, ‘we are left questioning what the real motive is for demolishing our home’.
Crown Street is part of the third ‘tranche’ in the Victorian State Government’s planned mass destruction of Melbourne’s 44 public housing high-rise flats. Along with six other buildings of people over the age of 55, the Government is set to attempt its latest mass displacement at the start of June.
A majority of people at two of the buildings have now released petitions against the decision. Echoing the words of residents at 150 Inkerman Street, St Kilda – a majority of whom signed a similar petition – Crown Street residents call for the government to ‘preserve this wonderful public housing and our community. We want to live here forever.’
Full text of petition:
To Nick Staikos, Minister for Housing and Building:
We, the residents of 29 Crown St, are a committed community and we want to stay. This is not just a physical building but an emotional home.
When we moved here, we were told it would be ours forever. Many of us have lived here for decades. Let us be. The demolition of our home would uproot our lives and destroy our community.
We demand that you halt the demolition plans, commit to proper maintenance and consult us residents on future renovations.
If there is truly a need for this building to be demolished, we want to be provided with proper evidence. Without this, we are left questioning what the real motive is for demolishing our home.
Preserve this wonderful public housing and our community. We want to live here forever.