Residents ‘duped’ on Grovedale link route

Kim Waters
ANGRY Grovedale residents fear authorities deliberately kept them in the dark on plans for a six-lane bypass link next to their homes, councillors heard this week.
South Grovedale residents told this week’s council meeting a community consultation process for the plan failed to adequately warn them how close the 4.5-kilometre road would be to their homes.
Phil Cranny said many residents had missed the consultation process informing residents about the bypass link to Surf Coast Highway.
“Don’t you think we would have kicked up a stink ages ago if we had heard about it,” Mr Cranny said.
“I would have been happy to do this in 2006…but we didn’t know.”
South Grovedale Community Action Group spokesperson Margarita Kumnick told the meeting information sent to residents had failed to mention the 4C bypass link.
“It mentioned the larger Armstrong Creek development but did not mention by name the road that we were worried about,” Ms Kumnick said.
“The letter we received was about Armstrong Creek and the majority of people who didn’t want to buy or invest in the area would have just chucked it in the bin.”
Ms Kumnick showed councillors a map attached to the Armstrong Creek letter.
She pointed out a small, dotted line representing the 4C road.
“The majority of people who had looked at this would have missed this line,” she said.
“It’s tiny.”
Mayor John Mitchell said council had followed a “legal process” in advertising plans for the road, which formed part of the Armstrong Creek development.
Cr Mitchell said the route was advertised for more than six months between 2006 and 2007.
Councillors voted unanimously to request Vicroads extend the consultation period.
Cr Andy Richards said council would also run a “community engagement strategy” with information sessions on 4C.
Council would table a report at its next meeting on the process for identifying the 4C route and associated community consultation, Cr Richards said.
Cr Jan Farrell was pessimistic about the potential for a resolution.
“Vicroads doesn’t necessarily take on the residents’ views,” she said.
“I’m not going to sit here and pretend this is a solution because it’s not.”
Residents in the gallery were outraged when council officers told them Vicroads might only extend the consultation period for another three weeks.
“Three weeks is a disgrace – we need more like six months,” a man yelled.
The Independent last month revealed community opposition to the bypass link, with residents fearing additional noise and traffic would devalue their properties.
They wanted the route change to align further south with Boundary Road.