Thursday, 30 November 2023

Petitions

North East Link

Nick McGOWAN (North-Eastern Metropolitan) presented a petition bearing 712 signatures:

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council concerns about the current proposed design of the Northern Package of the North East Link through the Urban Design and Landscape Plan (UDLP). This current design proposes a trench for the North East Link in Watsonia, splitting the community into two. We support the concept of a cover for the Watsonia section of the North East Link. A proposal for a cover has been put forward by Banyule City Council, which has worked with tunnelling, analytics and modelling experts to identify how the project can improve Banyule and create hectares of open space, facilitate investment, attract services and create jobs.

Independent analysis commissioned by Banyule Council estimated $190 million to $340 million in potential additional value could be created from opportunities enabled by a covered road, with up to $20 million in gross value injected into the local economy each year. Through effective community advocacy, 1.9 kilometers of tunnel has already been added through the Macleod portion of the North East Link, a neighbouring suburb of Watsonia. The Watsonia community is seeking a similar opportunity to connect our suburb.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to change its current design of the Northern Package of North East Link to put a cover on the Watsonia section.

Nick McGOWAN: I move:

That the petition be taken into consideration on the next day of meeting.

Motion agreed to.