Coles gets down, down to clean up vacant lot in Maylands

The site has been derelict and covered in overgrown weeds and graffiti since Coles bought the land in 2008.

Coles, which plans to sell the lot, began the clean-up in late November after Maylands Residents and Ratepayers Association member Elliaz Pik set up the Facebook page ‘Coles, why don’t you care about Maylands?’, advocating for the company to clean up the area.

Mr Pik took to Facebook on November 20 to announce Coles had painted over two sections of graffiti along the back wall, had picked up some rubbish and dead branches, and trimmed some of the trees.

“But there are still other things that we want them to clean and fix, which include: removing rusty and fallen fences, moving the ‘newer’ fences back to allow cars to park on the existing asphalt, and cleaning up all the garden beds and the broken glass pieces (so that people can park there safely),” he said.

A Coles spokeswoman said the company had taken community concerns on board and acted as a matter of priority to clean up the site.

“Rubbish and overgrown vegetation have been removed and a permanent fence will be installed around the site,” she said.

“Coles is now in advanced discussions with an interested party to sell the site for potential development.”