By Callum Ludwig
Residents have expressed their concerns about the state of a group of roads in Seville East.
A petition with 40 valid signatures was discussed at the Yarra Ranges Council meeting on Tuesday 11 June.
Seville East resident Daniel Lawrence spoke to the petition and said the petition is to have the Eastview Road Group sealed, inclusive of Wilma Avenue and Glen Valley Crescent.
“The road maintenance has improved since the last correspondence between myself and the council, I think I’ve spoken to Mr Eastham and Jim Child before via email,” he said.
“After two or three days of the roads being graded, it does return to its prior poor self, t he grading is inadequate for the amount of water runoff, the substrates deteriorated and the only corrective measure now is to remove the road completely back to the base and redo it from the start,”
“The addition of the park upgrade is all well and good, but 60 per cent of us have to put our cars into low range to reach the park from our houses.”
Mr Lawrence took the time to acknowledge recent upgrades to the area including the Glen Valley Park and its playground, recent improvements to the road maintenance and the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw funding for the Roads for Community program to seal roads in the Yarra Ranges.
Mr Lawrence said the roads have become a running joke in the area.
“On Wilma Avenue alone, we have two children needing round-the-clock medical care, two adolescents needing special needs access and two to three senior citizens needing national patient transport care numerous times a month,” he said.
“With the current state of the roads and surrounding vegetation, this is becoming increasingly difficult and is also restricting the residents to their homes aside from the days immediately after the road has been seen too.”
Mr Lawrence has been a resident of Wilma Avenue for about eight years and he has estimated the spoon drains on the road, particularly the downhill section, are about a metre deep and 40 centimetres wide.
A number of councillors chimed in before questions were asked to the executive.
“I remember many years ago in Mt Evelyn, having to pull people out late at night on the dirt road that I lived in with chains and it’s not good, usually visitors to the area haven’t got the knowledge of doing that but it’s important to bring these situations to Council regarding poor road maintenance,” Billanook Ward Councillor Tim Heenan said
“We’re actually investigating now in regards to special charge schemes, how do we go forward because what we’ve got now is a cohort of residents out there that strongly brought in to that particular advocacy piece instead of $14,000 commitment, a $7,000 commitment to have their roads sealed and now what we’re hearing is they still want to be engaged in a process so we have to take that seriously,” O’Shannassy Ward Councillor Jim Child said.
Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham and Ryrie Ward Councillor Fiona McAllister thanked Mr Lawrence for sharing his concerns and foreshadowed questions to Council executives regarding spoon drains and how the Council can proceed regarding requests from the community for remedial works without the Roads for Community funding.
Acting Director of Built Environment and Infrastructure Phil Murton said in response that now the funding’s been removed, they’re having to review what the special charge scheme program and policy is.
“It’s due to come back to Council in the next couple of months, which will then outline a process forward around how particularly for the roads that were on the Roads for Community initiative that weren’t able to be delivered once the funding was cut, what the process might be to be able to get some of those roads delivered in the coming years,” he said.
“Every road has a different profile in terms of the drainage so I’m happy to take notice of some of the questions around the specific drains in this area and investigate with the team and get back to both yourself Councillor Eastham but also the petitioner.”
A motion to refer the petition was carried unanimously.
