‘Victory’ on footpaths

ERIN PEARSON
Jan Juc residents have won a two-year battle against council plans to charge them for unwanted footpaths.
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal member Nicholas Hadjigeorgiou ruled Surf Coast Shire’s special charge scheme “must fail” because the proposed footpaths were of no benefit to many properties.
“While I can understand council’s wish to include as many properties as possible within the scheme to minimise the cost per property, the test must be that these properties will receive a special benefit,” Mr Hadjigeorgiou said in his ruling.
“The scheme includes a number of properties … that will not receive a special benefit.”
Lead objector Steve Burton said residents would spend the next few weeks celebrating after two years fighting council.
“I actually couldn’t believe it. I had to read the result three or four times,” Mr Burton said.
“The community made it pretty clear it didn’t want what (the shire) was offering.
“This has been a grassroots response and the shire needs to have a look at how they communicate with the community.”
Mr Burton said the shire should use its general rates revenue if it wanted to build footpaths around Jan Juc.
“The shire will have to have a re-think about what it wants to do because we will never support it
(a special charge scheme).”
The scheme to pay for a network of footpaths in Jan Juc would have cost residents an average $414. Council initially planned to slug residents hundreds of dollars more but slashed the plan by 40 per cent amid fierce objections.
Surf Coast Shire unveiled the proposed special payment scheme in 2009 after a survey of the area revealed inadequate disability access and walking tracks.
Residents and ratepayers lodged more than 900 letters of objection against the $2.3 million special charge scheme. The proposal would have affected properties in Strathmore Drive, Domain Road, Sunset Strip, Ocean Boulevard, Duffields Road and Carnarvon Avenue.
Mr Hadjigeorgiou said the shire would also have to seek an “acceptable treatment” for the pathways prior to proposing any alternative special charge scheme.
Surf Coast Shire refuses to answer questions from the Independent.