By Callum Ludwig
The state of the carpark behind the Yarra Junction shopping precinct has drawn the ire of locals, who fear its state of disrepair is a serious safety issue.
Large potholes have appeared and parts of the car park surface have degraded, causing uneven ground that could put pedestrians at risk and cause damage to vehicles.
Warburton resident John Ashby said one of the reasonably deep potholes is right next to the pedestrian crossing.
“It’s got some stuff just jammed in it but anyone pushing a pram, or just young kids or elderly people could turn and step there and fall and then anything could happen, let alone the damage it probably does to cars,” he said.
“And it’s not the only one, there’s a few of them there and it’s not as if it’s been there for a week or so, it’s been there for quite some time.”
Mr Ashby himself contacted the store manager at Woolworths to express his concerns and was told they would ‘address’ it. The management of the car park and the shopping centre itself is the responsibility of retail asset management company RetPro which owns the Yarra Junction shopping precinct.
Mr Ashby said it feels like there’s a lack of responsibility for the duty of care to the health and safety of residents.
“You virtually have to come to a stop to go through it, but come holiday times and weekends when the place is full of tourists and other people that are not aware of it, it could end up in all sorts,” he said.
“What we should do is we should get a whole heap of people there and put a picket line outside there until the owners of the place fix up the holes, but why should we have to go to extremes like that.”
The public toilet facilities for the shopping centre were also recently out-of-order for an extended period, which another local ‘anonymous tipster’ also contacted the Star Mail with concerns about.
“I complained to the centre management about the potholes, the state of the safety marking, the mould on the rear entrance, the fact that the disability access toilet has been out of service for weeks and the general shabbiness of the place,” the tipster said.
“I spoke to the management a week ago and the only thing that has happened is the the carpark deteriorated and presents a health and safety issue. This is especially true for older visitors and those with a disability.”
“I also asked who would be liable if someone tripped in a pothole and broke a hip, they are apparently.”
The tipster also said they were told that the centre was receiving quotes for repairs of the potholes.
RetPro was contacted for comment.
