Council digs up road sealing plan

By Tania Martin
MACCLESFIELD residents have questioned the motives behind a council decision to resurvey a selection of people over the proposed sealing of Tschampions Road.
They believed that the project was ‘dead and buried’ and now fear that it will go ahead as the Shire of Yarra Ranges canvases for support.
Resident Mark Sanders has slammed the council for not upholding the democratic process and has accused councillors of having their ‘own agenda’
He said only a section of Tschampions Road had been resurvey but believes everyone should have had a chance to cast their vote again.
In 2006 residents of Tschampions Road were surveyed about the proposed sealing of the road under the Special Charge Scheme (SCS).
The SCS is a co-contribution scheme between the council and landowners who wish to have their road sealed, but the council must gain more than 70 per cent support before it can go ahead.
In May 2006, the council informed residents that it had gained support for the program for the section of the road that runs from Cherry to Spillers Road and part of Kennedy Road.
However, the shire was unable to get adequate support to include the section of road from Macclesfield to Cherry Roads.
Mr Sanders said the two sections were then broken up into two separate projects so that part of Tschampions Road could be sealed.
He said residents had believed that section along Cherry and Macclesfield Roads had been removed from the scheme because of a lack of support.
But residents were shocked in December when the council sent out letters that it would be resurveying a section of the Macclesfield-Cherry Road section.
Dot Lomas of Tschampions Road said she thought the council had made a decision not to seal that section of the road.
“We thought it was all dead and buried and that we had the answer but now the council has dug it up again,” she said.
But according to the council the area was being resurveying because there had been three properties in the area that had changed ownership.
However, Mr Sanders believes the whole street and surrounding neighbourhoods should have been surveyed again.
“I don’t think resurveying only a portion of homeowners is a correct or democratic process.”
But shire manager of community relations James Martin said that it was only fair that the council seeks the new homeowners views on the proposed sealing of the road.
“This is a logical approach given that we have the opportunity to seal the full section of road, rather than just parts of it,” he said.
Mr Martin said if the council gains enough support for the project then it would proceed to a formal statutory process where residents will again have an opportunity to make a submission.
“The process is designed to ensure that property owners have ample opportunity to make their views known,” he said.