17 March 2022
Forty four trees will be lost!! Almost one tree per two car spaces!
Did you complete the LXRP (Level Crossing Removal Project) survey regarding Eltham Station Carpark upgrade in September 2021?
Well, unless you told them to remove 44 trees, they have taken next to no notice of you, Nillumbik Council, ECAG, and other community groups.
- 27 trees at the southern end of Youth Rd,
- 3 trees near the Child Care CoOp,
- 10 trees at the northern end of Youth Rd,
- and 4 trees in the Main Road ‘Kiss and Ride’ area.
All to go!
Plans were approved by the Planning Minister last month!
The major sticking points to any compromise appear to be the upcoming state election combined with the commitment to build exactly 100 car spaces.
‘Before consultation’ and “After consultation’ images produced by Council are available to view here. Spot the differences!!
Council officers suggested a ‘fundamental redesign should occur, including consideration of formalizing the eastern side of Youth Rd for commuter parks and moving the maintenance yard to a more appropriate location elsewhere in Melbourne.’
They also suggested reducing the additional carparks to achieve a better community outcome, for example, with the reduction of ten car spaces at the northern end of Youth Rd, eight existing trees could be retained.
What can we do now??
ECAG is not saying extra car park spaces are not needed.
What we are saying is that again, like the Roundabout, a decision was made without proper consideration of the community, the local situation and the local landscape and environment. The so called ‘consultation’ was a virtual sham, with plans/images so poor to be almost meaningless.
A win/win result was possible. You can read council’s proposals on how this could have been achieved in their submission here. Unfortunately, these suggestions were not taken up by the Level Crossing Removal Project which is responsible for the carpark upgrade.
If you believe a better outcome was possible and should have been sought, let the decision makers know.
Let your opinion be known!
Contact ..
Vicki Ward [email protected]
Daniel Andrews [email protected]
Jacinta Allan [email protected]
Level Crossing Removal Project [email protected]