Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is fighting a campaign for the State Government to purchase land owned by the Anglican church beside the school, which already contains the school’s playground.

With enrolments at their highest level, she’s calling on Education Minister Bronwyn Pike to help the school go through with the purchase.

But after two years of talks, she says negotiations remain unresolved.

“Due to a considerable portion of Lockwood Primary School’s current land being taken up by a large, fenced-off dam, the area available for students to play has always been limited,” she said.

“Some years ago an agreement was formed between the adjoining Anglican church and the Education Department to lease their land to supplement the school’s play area and a large playground was constructed on the church land.”

Ms Lovell said it reached the point that when the church had an urgent need to sell the land, Lockwood’s school council was forced to engage a benefactor.

“Unfortunately the school’s acquisition of the land from the benefactor to purchase the land from the benefactor has floundered due to the minister’s failure to assist the school with funds,” Ms Lovell said.

“If the church land had been purchased by another party, the Education Department would have been liable for about $30,000 worth of works to relocate the school’s playground and fence off the area.”

A spokesman for Ms Pike, Glen Atwell, responded to the claims by saying the school’s land entitlements had already been reached but that they were getting a new building to increase recreational space.

“Lockwood Primary School received $850,000 for a brand new multi-purpose facility under the Building the Education Revolution program,” Mr Atwell said.

“Construction will soon commence on the new facility (that) will provide students with additional recreational space. The Department has worked closely with the school, which is already at its land entitlement, and has given the school approval to purchase the land.”

But Ms Lovell said all the construction of the new building was doing was further limiting the school’s play area and that it was funding for the purchase that the school needed assistance with.

“Enrolments this year are the highest they have been since the school started, so the school needs this land now more than ever,” she said.