Wodonga Council supports further reducing dead end outside primary school in city

A section of Osburn Street between St Augustine's Primary School's classrooms and its northern play area will be shut under the plan.

The idea was previously raised in 2010-11 but was rejected because the owners of a car wash which has access from the affected area of Osburn Street objected.

However, the business use of that land is changing and an opening from Osburn Street is no longer required.

Under the plan to be pursued by the council, the roadway would be closed rather than discontinued, meaning the school would not be forced to buy the affected land from the state.

Instead, the council would maintain the area and enter into an agreement with the school which see it help fund landscaping to make it safer for pupils to traverse.

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In backing the move at Monday night's council meeting, councillor Ron Mildren expressed concern there may be potential for an owner of the car wash land to want the area reopened.

"My instincts tell me we should be looking to do something more permanent," he said.

"I just have a reticence in the back of my mind that this might not be as secure an outcome as we would like it to be."

Also at Monday night's meeting, the council agreed to sell The Willows centre in McFarland Road, West Wodonga, to Westmont for a peppercorn rate of $1.

The offloading of the site to the aged care provider follows the site having already been sublet to Westmont since 2013 to provide home and community care services.

Under the deal, the building cannot be used for any purpose other than for "older persons".

If Westmont no longer use it on that basis, the land can be transferred back to the council.

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