A call has gone out for mums to rally outside the now-closed Women’s Rest Centre in Cronulla Mall this Saturday at 1pm.
Dozens of mothers and their chidren turned up last Monday morning to find the doors to the centre closed prompting an outpouring of anger.
Last week Sutherland Shire Council adopted a resolution to demolish the centre and replace it with a temporary children’s playground.
The resolution had been added at the last minute to the draft Cronulla Town Centre Public Domain Master Plan adopted for public exhibition by the council.
A council spokesman said, “The removal of the Women’s Rest Centre is an essential step in the revitalisation of our town centre which celebrates what our community loves about Cronulla as part of Council’s ‘Cronulla Public Domain Masterplan’.
“The Women’s Rest Centre is contained within an ageing building which doesn’t comply with modern Australian Building Code Standards. A short distance away at Cronulla Central, Council provides five-star parents’ facilities, as rated by the Australian Breastfeeding Association.”
While the draft Cronulla Public Domain Masterplan will be on public exhibition from 1 August for a period of 28 days, the council moved swiftly to shut the centre.
On Tuesday afternoon workmen were seen boarding up windows with plywood while inside furniture was dismantled.
The decision has been slammed by parents with many taking to the Leader Facebook page to vent their frustrations.
Rally organiser Annette Hogan criticised the councillors who made the decision as being out of touch and ignoring community concerns.
“We have invited all 15 councillors to come down to the rally on Saturday and we will show them the supposed “five star” baby room in Cronulla Central so they can view actually how many babies and prams can fit into that room at any one time,” Ms Hogan said.
“We want the councillors to come and listen to the public, because they they are not listening.
“Nobody has seen council in such a fast and vicious manner before.
“The centre was shown in the draft master plan that was about to go on display. Why didn’t they allow the public comment on the proposed demolition first. They could have upgraded it rather than demolishing it.
“This is a council made up of 75 per cent of men. It’s like an old pollies rest home at the moment.
“They are obviously out-of-touch when there are thousands of young women who are begging to keep this facility.
“The mothers are all saying the room in Cronulla Central is disgusting and dirty. There are dirty nappies left in there. And the mother’s don’t feel safe don’t feel safe using the room.”
Ms Hogan also criticised the temporary playground that the council will install on the site of the rest centre, saying it was too close the traffic of the Kingsway.