How many more sleeps for Gracie Rose?

Gracie Rose was born around the time that the City of Greater Geelong assured Ryan Court residents and DCSCA that a council-built 'urban dam' in their street would be filled-in and the area restored. A month later, Gracie Rose has celebrated her first month’s birthday, but the 'urban dam' remains.

Since March, Ryan Court residents have watched as this urban dam filled with rainwater that failed to drain away as promised, and that soon collected foam and oil slicks. In July, they asked DCSCA for assistance and, as a result, council officers told them that the dam would be filled-in.

One of the Ryan Court residents is Gracie Rose's grandmother, who has kept her informed of developments .... or, rather, the lack of any. It would be nice if Gracie Rose's second month’s birthday could also be a celebration of the dam’s removal, but at the moment, that’s looking unlikely.

Any guesses on how many more sleeps for Gracie Rose before the Ryan Court 'urban dam' is filled-in?

Bridge protesters rally in red

Two hundred residents attended a rally and 'ribbon-tying ceremony' at Bayshore Avenue, Clifton Springs on Sunday 11 September to protest against a proposed bridge from Bayshore Avenue across Griggs Creek.

The rally was organised by the Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group (CSIRG), which is leading the proposed bridge. Property developers Bisinella has applied for a permit to build the bridge, which would be the only point of access for construction vehicles entering and leaving its land at the northern end of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area, where it intends to build a high-end housing estate.

CSIRG had leafletted the area extensively, inviting people to the rally, asking them to wear red and suggesting that they tie red ribbon to their fences, letter boxes, etc.

Locals wearing a variety of red clothing applauded as one of the area's oldest residents, Max Christie, tied a ribbon carrying a 'STOP' sign across Bayshore Avenue, under a sign saying 'No Bridge!'

CSIRG spokesperson Gary Dean said that he was 'overwhelmed' by the community's response to the rally. 'Council has been ignoring the concerns of Clifton Springs residents, he said. 'I haven't met anyone who isn't against the bridge.'

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) has been assisting CSIRG and supported the rally. DCSCA Secretary Patrick Hughes said, 'People don't want this bridge and they don't need it. The only people who need it are Bisinella and they only need it because the council has failed to require for a north-south road within the Growth Area.'

Bisinella's application to build the bridge will be considered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) on 26-27 October in Geelong Magistrates Court.

For background, see these articles on this blog:
'A troubling bridge over local waters' [19 August]
'Interest grows in "rogue bridge"' [25 August]
'Bridge protesters go public' [2 September]
'Rally in Red!' [8 September]
'Packed hall says "No" to bridge' [9 September]

Geelong mayor 'sympathetic' to bridge protesters

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Cr. John Mitchell today told representatives of the Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group (CSIRG) that he sympathised with their concerns about a proposed road bridge from Bayshore Avenue in Clifton Springs across Griggs Creek and into the northern end of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area.

Property developer Bisinella has applied for a permit to build the bridge, which would be the only point of access for construction vehicles entering and leaving its land at the northern end of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area. The application will be considered by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) on 26-27 October in Geelong Magistrates Court.

Cr. Mitchell told the CSIRG representatives that the council will investigate whether alternative access routes can be created into the Growth Area to relieve pressure on the proposed Bayshore Avenue bridge. He also said that the council will explore whether it can impose a 3-tonne load limit on Bayshore Avenue itself, to prevent heavy construction vehicles using it.

The CSIRG representatives were told that a right of way exists across farmland from McDermott Road into the northern part of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area and that this right of way could be turned into an access road into the Bisinella land. Finally, the CSIRG representatives heard that if Bisinella's application to build the bridge succeeds, the council will require it to submit a Construction Management Plan detailing how it will a) minimise constriction work on either side of Griggs Creek and b) minimise construction traffic while the bridge is being built.

The CSIRG's Gary Dean said that it was a constructive meeting that had enabled the group to express its concerns to the council. 'We appreciate Cr. Mitchell making time to listen to us' he said. 'We also appreciate his suggestion that it might be possible to create a 3-tonne limit on Bayshore Avenue, but it isn't clear who would police that limit. The only real resolution to this situation is a north-south road within the development giving construction vehicles access to Bisinella's land. That should have been in the plans from day one.'

Packed hall says 'No' to bridge

Over one hundred and twenty people packed Drysdale's SpringDale Hall last night (8 September) and made it very clear that they don't want the 'unlimited load' bridge proposed for nearby Bayshore Avenue in Clifton Springs.

Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group spokesperson Gary Dean told the standing-room-only audience that property company Bisinella wants to build the bridge so that heavy construction vehicles can access its land at the northern end of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area (see photo below), where it intends to build a high-end housing estate.

Dean said that the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) is supporting the proposed 'unlimited load' bridge, despite the fact that its planners and engineers have said consistently that such a bridge should carry only local traffic only, not construction vehicles.

To wide applause, Gary Dean said that the developers would leave the area after a couple of years, but the effects of the proposed bridge on the local area would be disastrous - 'If we don't do something now, we'll have to live with it forever', he said.

Audience members said that they couldn't believe that CoGG was allowing Bisinella to start building its estate before a major road running north-south into its land is built; and that rather than make the developers build such a road, the council was supporting Bisinella's proposed bridge. Several speakers said that the local council - and local councillors - should be representing the wishes of local people instead of bowing to developers' wishes.

Gary Dean thanked the Drysdale and Clifton Springs Community Association for its support and assistance, encouraged people to contact their parliamentary and council representatives and the media and urged everyone to attend the rally and ribbon-tying ceremony at the western end of Bayshore Avenue on Sunday 11 September at 10.30 a.m.

Rally in Red!

At a rally on Sunday 11 September 2011, residents of the Bayshore Avenue area of Clifton Springs will tie a ribbon across the site of a proposed bridge to formally declare it … 'CLOSED FOR DEVELOPMENT!'

The rally will happen at 10.30 a.m. at the western end of Bayshore Avenue. The rally is being organised by the Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group (CSIRG). Spokesperson Gary Dean said, 'Were inviting everyone who'll be affected by the bridge to attend the rally, to wear an item of red clothing to the ribbon-tying ceremony and to tie their own red ribbon to their fence or letter box.'

The proposed bridge will run from the western end of Bayshore Avenue across Griggs Creek and into land owned by property company Bisinella. It will have no load limit, enabling construction vehicles to use it to gain access to the Bisinella land for development. (See 'A troubling bridge over local waters' [19 August]; 'Interest grows in "rogue bridge"' [25 August]; and 'Bridge protesters go public' [2 September] on this blog.)

'This bridge won't just affect residents of Bayshore Avenue', said Gary Dean. 'The whole area - Koorong Court, Kewarra Drive, Kanyanya Avenue, Kiama Way and Jetty Road - will be at risk from construction traffic moving through it. We're holding the rally to make the council and developers sit up and take notice of the growing opposition to the proposed bridge. We want them to stop treating Clifton Springs as Geelong's poor relation and to have meaningful discussions with us about this bridge.'

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) has been assisting CSIRG and it is supporting the rally. Rally organisers are asking everyone in the area to attend, bringing family, friends, neighbours, children and even the family pet! They are asking people to park their cars in the streets, to highlight how unsuitable the roads are for heavy traffic. They emphasize that people should park legally, respecting residents' rights and ensuring that emergency vehicles have access if necessary.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group. E-mail csirgroup@yahoo.com.au
Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association. E-mail dryclift@bigpond.com

Bridge protesters go public

The Clifton Springs Independent Ratepayers Group (CSIRG) will hold a public meeting on Thursday 8 September at 6.30 p.m. at SpringDale Neighbourhood Centre, Drysdale High Street. The topic of the meeting will be the City of Greater Geelong's (CoGG) recent decision to allow an 'unlimited load' bridge to be built from Bayshore Avenue into the northern end of the Jetty Road Urban Growth Area.

A decision of this sort of significance would normally be subject to public scrutiny through the formal planning process, but local people heard about this 'rogue bridge' only once CoGG had decided to allow it. In response, 864 residents have signed a petition organised by the CSIRG opposing the bridge.

(See 'A troubling bridge over local waters' [19 August] and 'Interest grows in "rogue bridge"' [25 August] on this blog.)

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association (DCSCA) is supporting and assisting the campaign, which has attracted considerable interest from the local press. Geelong Mayor, Cr. John Mitchell, has recently invited representatives from CSIRG to discuss the issue with him at City Hall on 13 September.

CSIRG spokesperson Gary Dean points out that the rogue bridge will affect residents not just of Bayshore Ave, but also of all interconnecting streets between Kewarra Drive and Jetty Road. 'All these streets will be seriously affected by an unacceptable increase in traffic - including heavy construction vehicles - for many years', he said. 'This poses an unacceptable risk to our daily lives, especially to children and elderly people. We need to make it clear to City Hall that they are ignoring residents' and ratepayers' concerns, where they should be representing us.We need to make Council accountable for their decision.'

CSIRG can be contacted by e-mail (csirgroup@yahoo.com.au) or by phone (5251 1122).