BROOKLYN property owners are considering action against Brimbank
council over its decision to impose a special charge to fund the sealing
of Bunting Road.
Fifteen landholders initially faced a $2.7 million bill in
October last year but that was reduced to $1.8 million last month when
the state government chipped in $900,000.
The project is part of a broader program to tackle high levels of
dust in the industrial precinct, partly caused by unsealed surfaces.
Property owners have been asked to cough up between $654 and
$364,360, depending on factors such as land area, access and amenity.
Eight landholders have objected and, in a legal letter to council,
one business said it did not use the road so should not have to pay.
“The proposed special charge will not provide a
special benefit,” one wrote. “The basis for the distribution of the
special charge is . . . unnecessary, unreasonable, excessive,
insufficient and costly.”
Another argued: “We object to any charge being proposed for our
property, as the part of Bunting Road adjacent to our property is
already sealed. We do not object to the construction of the road in
principle, just paying for it.”
The council’s infrastructure and environment director, Paul
Younis, said two businesses had taken council to the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal over a similar charge for nearby Jones Road.
Council administrator Jane Nathan said the scheme would help revitalise the area.
“The winners will be those sitting on Jones and Bunting roads,” she said.
“It’s a great leap forward for the area.”
LEGAL LETTERS FLY OVER BITUMEN BILL
BROOKLYN landholders say the sealing of Bunting Road is
unnecessary as the eventual construction of the second stage of the
east-west link will lead to their land being compulsorily acquired.
Legal letters to Brimbank council from businesses objecting to a
special rate charge state any development would be “unnecessary,
unreasonable, excessive, insufficient and costly’’.
“Our clients’ land will be severed by the [east-west
link] project and the use of the land will be terminated,” one legal
letter said. “We note that the extension of Market Street, proposed to
connect to the planned alignment, runs through our clients’ land.’’
Another said: “Given existing planning for the new freeway, Bunting Road will probably make the bitumen road obsolete.”
But a council report found upgrades to Bunting Road would last 10
years and “based on discussions with representatives of the Linking
Melbourne Authority, this is the estimated timeline for construction of
the east-west link”.
A Linking Melbourne spokesman said owners of affected properties in Bunting and Somerville roads were told years ago.
“All business owners [who properties are] likely to be acquired
based on this route were consulted in 2009-10 as part of the WestLink
planning study,” he said.
