Cemetery plot kills business plans He says uncertainty over the memorial park plan is a hindrance for businesses in the area. “When you don’t have a future everything just gets put on hold and you’re not going to BUSINESS owners have called on the state construct anything until you have some cergovernment to quickly end uncertainty over tainty.” a planned memorial park in Kingston’s Green Deakin University planning and food policy Wedge so they can get on with investing in fu- expert Dr Rachel Carey is concerned about ture business plans. the loss of any agricultural land around MelSouthern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust has bourne. approached Kingston Council and the Labor “Almost half of Victoria’s fresh vegetables state government outlining its plans to build are still grown in market gardens around the a “Kingston Memorial Park” in Heatherton. city fringe and market gardens are an imporThe Trust intends to buy about 130 hectares of tant part of Melbourne’s food bowl scattered green wedge land north of Old Dandenong Rd around the city,” she said. to develop land for a cemetery and memorial Dr Carey said remaining market gardens are park (‘Cemetery plot for Green Wedge’, The vital and will be needed to feed Melbourne’s News 16/9/15). growing population into the future. The Trust has the power to compulsorily ac“As Melbourne’s population grows to about quire land and a cemetery is a permitted use of 7 million people by 2050, we’re going to need SUPERMARKETS goliath Coles has given a vote green wedge land. more places to grow vegetables to feed the of confidence for the ongoing viability of a major Landscapelink Nursery owner Kevin Ger- city’s population so it’s really important we vegetable grower in Kingston’s Green Wedge. raty says businesses within the area earmarked keep the existing [market garden] areas. Butler Market Gardens, a sixth generation busifor the memorial park have not been consulted “Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.” ness in Heatherton, was given a $500,000 interestby the Trust, Kingston Council or the state The Heatherton and Clayton market gardens free loan from Coles as part of the retailer’s Nurture government about its proposal. are ideal for highly perishable vegetables “that Fund aimed at helping Australian food and grocery “No-one informed us as to what was actually don’t have to travel very far” to Melbourne, acproducers “develop new market-leading products, going on,” he said. cording to Dr Carey. technologies, systems and processes”. Mr Gerraty fears the loss of market gardens The university research fellow believes MelButler Market Gardens managing director Rick in the area could have a detrimental knock-on bourne’s food bowl is not as publicly recogButler said the loan will be used to install new autoeffect on neighbouring businesses. nised or appreciated due to food production matic washing and drying technology to minimise “It’s like the car industry. Once you take one areas such as Adelaide’s Barossa Valley or waste and “speed up paddock to plate time”. away – a few hundred acres – then it makes it Sydney’s Hunter Valley since Melbourne’s “The funding will allow us to introduce post-harunprofitable for the rest of them. “is in many smaller areas scattered around the vest technology into Australia which will improve “They’ve all built their businesses around city”. efficiency and increase throughput and ultimately large acreages and if any get taken away it The decision to allow Southern Metropoliprovide a better product for consumers,” he said. jeopardises the whole lot of them.” tan Cemeteries Trust to buy land in Kingston’s The grower specialises in spring onions, Asian The plants and trees nursery, which employs Green Wedge will be made by the state govvegetables, lettuce and herbs and its trucks can eleven staff, has been a success for more than ernment. often be seen on the roads around north Kingston two decades and Mr Gerraty says the familyA spokeswoman for Health Minister Jill delivering produce to Coles distribution centres. owned operation would not want to move “be- Hennessy told The News last month “no deciGEK1753G.E.C Electrical LED Ad Campaign.qxp_GEK1753 : G.E.C Electrical Free LED Ad Campaign 29/09/2015 12:52 pm Page 1 sion is expected any time soon”. cause it’s such a good site”. Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au
Looking to future: Butler Market Gardens managing director Rick Butler will use a loan from Coles to push the market garden business forward. Pic: Gary Sissons
Future funds for market garden Coles managing director John Durkan said the company supports innovators such as the Butler family who strive to improve the quality and freshness of food delivered to Coles for its customers. “We were impressed with Butler Market Gardens’ vision to supply Australian customers with locallygrown vegetables more quickly and at top quality all year round,” he said. Butlers Market Gardens is the first small business in Victoria to receive a loan from Cole’s Nurture Fund. Horticultural industry body AUSVEG praised Butlers Market Gardens as “an entrepreneurial growing operation”. “It is encouraging to see Coles, one of the biggest retailers in the country, affirm its commitment to the Australian vegetable industry and support local business innovation and development through the Nurture Fund,” AUSVEG spokesman Shaun Lindhe said. Neil Walker
Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 21 October 2015
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