A GROUP of McCrae residents are advocating for the vacant land at 35-39 Armstrong Rd to be preserved as a public open space.
Residents believe the flat, three-block piece of land can provide passive recreational opportunities for McCrae.
A community gathering will be held at the site on 12 July from 3pm to show local support.
Liz Marsh, who is organising the campaign, said the pace of development prompted her to take action.
“This area is becoming denser with subdivisions,” said Marsh.
“The developers are coming in and just razing the trees on the properties. Recently, there were two properties, and the trees were taken down without permits. I spoke to Max Patton about that, and they’re fined for that, but I don’t feel a fine is deterring people.”
She said her experience living in Warrandyte and Beaumaris, where green spaces were retained amid development, highlighted the contrast with McCrae.
“We need to have some balance with liveability in the area and that’s becoming far more challenging now,” said Marsh.
“All these green spaces have been taken, and there’s no footpaths.”
“A lot of people have said if there was a space they could go to and walk around or sit, they could engage with other people in the area and they could also do some exercise and have some sort of form of recreation.”
Marsh and a group of local residents have been preparing submissions to the council referencing relevant strategies and guidelines. They plan to assist other residents in preparing submissions as Marsh said council documents can be difficult to digest.
She said they have been in contact with Benbenjie Ward councillor Max Patton, who will be in attendance at the gathering on 12 July.
“[Patton’s] just trying to engage with it at the moment and look at what others want in the area and the possibility of making this into a recreation space; a public open space,” said Marsh.
Marsh said the site could align with the council’s Open Space Strategy and developer contributions associated with local subdivisions could be used towards the project.
She said the site also contains significant trees, including an indigenous cherry tree and two stringybarks, which may house microbats, kookaburras, or sugar gliders.
“It’s like a mini corridor,” said Marsh.
“The canopy cover has already been reduced in that area, and they need to maintain these three trees, these indigenous trees, and they need add more to it to increase the biodiversity.”
At the gathering on 12 July, there will be a concept of the park, a petition for residents to sign, and a sausage sizzle.
Marsh said anyone is welcome to come along and learn more information about the proposed space.
“This is for the generations in the future, and I see it as if we don’t have that intergenerational equity, we’re going to have a lot of problems,” said Marsh.
First published in the Mornington News – 30 June 2026
