Two abandoned homes as part of the recently-sold St John of God Pinelodge Clinic in Dandenong have become a rubbish-strewn eyesore.
Last year, the two dwellings at 2 and 4 Woodlee Street were sold off along with the clinic around the corner on Heatherton Road.
They are littered inside and out, with mattresses and shattered furniture in makeshift bedrooms. Outside are piles of trash, including whitegoods.
Dandenong resident Allan Bassett said the unsecure homes have been an open invite for drug users and squatters.
He said he was told Greater Dandenong Council recently issued a clean-up notice to the new owner, but the “mess” remained last weekend.
It appeared that an owner had tried to screw the doors closed from the inside – which failed to deter visitors, he said.
“The property owner has done very little to restrict access to both premises. It’s not fenced off – anyone can just walk in off the street.
“Meanwhile the immediate residents live in fear, as our local council fails to take the steps to provide the safety we require.”
Greater Dandenong city futures executive director Sanjay Manivasigasivam told a 13 October council meeting that the owner was planning to demolish the homes.
But the council was unable to establish the time-frame, he said.
The council told Star Journal last year that its approach was to resolve such issues with the owners, including to secure, occupy or demolish the property.
In 2023 and 2024, Greater Dandenong investigated at least 64 reported squat houses in the municipality, declaring that it had resolved 57 of the cases.
“Appropriate enforcement action” had been taken, such as the council hiring contractors to clean up a squathouse’s front yard in Sheales Street Dandenong in 2024.
