Bridge fight ‘to minister’

KIM WATERS
Residents have “bypassed” council and gone to Victoria’s Planning Minister over a proposed bridge connecting their land to a new residential estate, according to a lead objector.
John Boland said 864 residents in the area surrounding Bayshore Avenue and Kewarra Drive had signed a petition against the bridge to direct “hundreds” of vehicles past their homes daily.
Objectors took their petition directly to Planning Minister Matthew Guy this week, Mr Boland said.
“We’ve been really disappointed with council. After years of this debate we decided to bypass council and go directly to State Government to get this sorted out.
“We had a very good reception from the minister’s office and we expect a decision in the next week or so.”
Residents thought they had defeated the Grigg Creek bridge plan with a 244-signature petition in 2008 before discovering the proposal had been revived earlier this year.
“Our roads aren’t wide enough to take all the traffic for this new development and we have a lot of elderly people and young children in this area,” Mr Boland said.
Mr Guy’s spokesperson confirmed the minister had received the petition.
“The minister’s office…will now consider the issues contained within it.”
Councillor Rod Macdonald said in April that bridge planning provisions, including designs to “discourage” non-local traffic, would help maintain neighbourhood amenity.