By Tate Papworth
Sunshine North’s large Vietnamese population could soon be recognised with a road name switch.
Brimbank council has tabled plans to rename McGrath Place to Ben Thanh Place.
The council says the current name is non-compliant with a council rule which states that in metropolitan urban areas, names must not duplicate another within five kilometres.
McGrath Street, Sunshine and McGrath Close, Kealba both fall within a five kilometre distance of McGrath Place.
It is deemed that the close proximity of the similarly named streets could put emergency service responses at risk and create confusion for mail services.
There is one property numbered to McGrath Place, but 13 units are currently being developed on the site.
The council says the road should be renamed prior to issuing occupancy permits to avoid any inconvenience to residents.
The properties are due to be completed in June-July this year.
The name Ben Thanh Place was proposed by the developer of the property and comes from a notable market located in a major city in Vietnam. Ben Thanh roughly translates to Wharf Citadel.
The proposed name change will be put out for public consultation for a period of 30 days.
