The Friends, along with other community groups, attended an invite-only meeting with the Regional Rail Link Authority and Brimbank City Council last night to receive information regarding adaptations to the original proposal for the Anderson Road Nth grade separation. The two main issues were the impacts on the Gardens and the closure of King Edward Avenue to traffic.
Firstly, the Gardens: We were surprised to see that significant changes had been incorporated to address the heritage destruction the original proposal would have caused. In summary:
- The restored gates at the northwest entrance to the Gardens will not be moved and will remain in their original location
- Acquisition of land from the Gardens has been reduced from 176m2 to 5m2
- Electricity poles will not be moved into the gardens – electricity will go underground
- A new pedestrian footbridge will be built across Anderson Rd from King Edward Ave into the gardens
We are yet to see detailed information on the effects and impacts of putting an easement through the Gardens for the underground electricity but overall, these are much improved outcomes and we appreciate the support received from local residents, other community groups, heritage supporters, local politicians and the Unions to get them.
Issues still of concern for the Gardens are:
- That Heritage Vic has determined that the Garden bed on the track side of the straight six path is not covered by the heritage listing.
- Ensuring construction and digging does not damage trees and plants
- Design of the bridge that will replace the existing heritage listed footbridge at the North Eastern end of the Gardens is still being negotiated.
In relation to the closure of King Edward Avenue to traffic, RRLA were adamant that this must occur and that they are therefore only considering traffic mitigation options. They had not completed analysis of a one day traffic management study they did and could not give attendees any confidence that the closure of KEA will not turn Albion into an isolated dead end.
We will continue to support the ARAG, Bettering Brimbank and SunRAA in fighting for better outcomes for the residents of Albion.
Good news 🙂
Carol