PepperTree Place, in the heart of Coburg, is a wonderful little creatively-designed community green space which exudes warmth and inclusiveness.
Framed by a historic bluestone church and stables, it is an oasis of gardens, chooks, a caf茅, a home-grown nursery and a multitude of community programs.
Kildonan Uniting Care (an entity of the Uniting Church), which established PepperTree Place about 15 years ago, recently merged with some 21 smaller disparate Uniting Church agencies to become 鈥淯niting鈥.
Uniting informed the staff and volunteers on August 9 that the site would be closed to the public in four weeks and that they had six weeks鈥 work left.
A group of concerned Moreland residents, who do not want to see this unique space lost, have jumped in to try to secure PepperTree Place鈥檚 long-term future, and ensure the community programs have a permanent home.
鈥淚t is extremely shortsighted of Uniting to close PepperTree Place,鈥 Socialist Alliance Moreland councillor Sue Bolton told 麻豆传媒 Weekly. 鈥淧epperTree Place plays a unique role in the community: it offers respite from the world, as well as being an open and safe green space.
鈥淚t is especially important right now given that there is a sea of high-rise [constructions] planned for the Pentridge development. We can already see nearby open spaces, like Lake Reserve, are becoming overcrowded in summer. 鈥淧epperTree Place is the only service in Coburg that distributes emergency relief so it is incredibly important that this service remains.
鈥淲ith more than 100 volunteers, PepperTree Place has literally been a lifesaver for some people, helping them after hardship. 鈥淚f Uniting doesn鈥檛 keep PepperTree Place open, it is essential that the land is not sold off so that we can keep the space as an independent community organisation,鈥 Bolton said.
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