A service road off Burke Street near Marist-Sion College in Warragul will be closed after a council vote last week.
This article was first published in the 15 August 2014 edition of the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. Get your copy today.
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The street is located between Cornish and McCulloch Streets and was to be used in a small commercial development, but that never reached the building phase.
Cr Gauci said the road was of no benefit to the community except for a small number of people who used it as a pick up and drop off zone for students.
“This service road… has been identified as a service road in Warragul really serving no benefit,” Cr Gauci said.
“The developers are now propo-sing to put units on the site and the roadway.
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“We were sort of under the impression it was a heavily used road, but after investigation we found that it was only a limited number of people who actually used it as a pick up and drop off zone.
“I believe in this particular situ-ation I believe it’d be better if it was sold off to the developer and not be a burden on the council.”
Wrong Wrong Wrong.
This decision smacks of ‘Let’s look after the developers at all costs’.
Burden to the council? Exactly what sort of burden is it to the council at present?
Forget that it performs a valuble community service as a school drop off and waiting area in a school zone.
I say if the developer bought the land knowing he might receive a free kick from the council then this should be explained.
Smacks of network to me.
Burden? Cr Gauci, how can a little service road that is utilised by the school community, be a burden on council?
urke Street traffic congestion and parking issues will be a burden on council in years to come, once 20,000 additional people have moved to the area. Watch this space, widening the road as a dual carriageway with be on the cards for sure.
Also presumably the mature gum trees in the nature strip between Burke St and the service road will have to go in case they fall onto the new units.