THIS MEANS WAR
▪ State freezes funding after council votes to dig up part of recent $8m Malop St revamp ▪ You’ve lost the plot, Neville tells city as govt looks to block project and take control of strip
THE State Government has frozen funding for Geelong council infrastructure projects after councillors voted to rip up parts of the Malop St Green Spine, less than two years after the $8 million project was completed.
Senior state Labor MP Lisa Neville also revealed the Government was exploring how it could block the city from demolishing parts of the works, including seizing control of the key CBD road.
THE State Government has frozen funding for Geelong council infrastructure projects after councillors voted to spend $2 million ripping up parts of the Malop St Green Spine, less than two years after the $8 million project was completed.
Senior state Labor MP Lisa Neville also revealed the Government was exploring how it could block the city from demolishing parts of the works, including seizing control of the key CBD road.
A majority of councillors on Tuesday night voted in favour of a motion to reintroduce turning lanes, increase parking spaces and demolish the northernmost of two separated bike lanes on the award-winning 200m stretch of Malop St between Moorabool and Yarra streets.
About $8 million was spent on the joint council and state government project, designed to add more green spaces to the CBD, while decreasing traffic and encouraging bike users.
Brownbill Ward Councillor Eddy Kontelj tabled the motion, claiming it was a “courageous move” to fix traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety on the street.
Cr Kontelj argued small business owners on the strip had raised concerns the Green Spine works had been detrimental to their businesses.
“It’s not about ripping up the Green Spine, it’s about enhancing and improving it. It’s about creating a balance for all users,” Cr Kontelj said.
Six of the city’s 11 councillors voted in favour of the motion, despite Bellarine state Labor MP Lisa Neville issuing a warning to the council just days earlier, threatening to strip powers from the council and reconsider future investment in the city centre.
Ms Neville yesterday stayed true to her word, revealing the state had frozen funding for the city’s CBD infrastructure projects and was urgently working to block any move to tear up parts of the Green Spine.
“Today the Planning Minister is having a look at a range of options, for example is there a way we can prevent them from ripping it up … is there a way we can take the road over and make it a state road – we will look at all of those legal options,” Ms Neville said.
“As of right now we won’t invest any more in their infrastructure in the CBD, unless we find a way that we can guarantee that council doesn’t have the ability to overturn that investment in the future.
“They can’t expect us to have confidence in their ability to make the right decisions in the future … we just can’t afford to risk spending money on their infrastructure when they’ve got the power to do this.
“If anyone could possibly think, for an $8 million investment you’re then going to spend $2 million ripping part of it up is a good decision, then
I think they’ve completely lost the plot.”
Ms Neville and some councillors criticised the lack of evidence behind Cr Kontelj’s motion.
“I understand the cost of doing this is in the scheme of $2 million,” Councillor Pat Murnane said.
“We’ve been provided with no evidence as to why it’s necessary. There has been nothing produced other than that we’re told there is a segment of the community that are not happy with the Green Spine.
“We may lose control of this, the green strip itself, and maybe even the city.”
Councillor Peter Murrihy said the city was wasting millions of dollars “on a hunch”.
“To rip part of this up would be a backwards step,” he said. “There’s no evidence to suggest the Green Spine is not working.”
Bike user groups widely slammed the move, with the Bicycle Network labelling it “an incredibly disappointing and backwards step”, while Bicycle Users Geelong took to social media just minutes after the decision to say “crazy to build bike lanes and then pull them out”.
Mayor Stephanie Asher’s support of the motion to remove the northern bicycle lane came a month after telling the Addy she hoped the completion of the Green Spine would encourage more people to get on their bikes.
“Once people see the whole stretch and you are actually cycling from Eastern Gardens down to Johnstone Park in dedicated bike paths, people will think, ‘ oh that makes sense’,” she said. “At the moment it doesn’t really make sense as one singular piece.”
Cr Kontelj had proposed changes to the Green Spine in December, requesting a report into potential improvements for the strip. His Tuesday motion directed the city’s chief executive to stop working on the report.
Tuesday’s motion was passed by a single vote.
SMALL businesses operating from Geelong’s Green Spine are divided over the council’s controversial move to tear up parts of the revamped roadway.
Three small business operators interviewed yesterday both welcomed and criticised the city’s move to spend about $2 million to alter the Green Spine – less than two years after the $8 million project was completed.
Citing trader concerns, Councillor Eddy Kontelj crafted the motion to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety by reintroducing turning lanes, increasing parking spaces and demolishing a separated bike lane on the award-winning 200m stretch of Malop St between Moorabool and Yarra streets.
Yeti Kumbukage, owner of the Rook: Sri Lankan Fusion restaurant welcomed the idea behind the move, but said the works building the Green Spine had almost killed his business.
“The idea is good, the process I don’t know,” Mr Kumbukage told the Gee
long Advertiser yesterday. “When we went through the 11-odd months of road closures and getting everything revamped, it cost us a lot, our livelihood. We had to let go of people to survive, we had to work every day. It’s a good idea, but if they’re planning on taking way too long, just like they did for the [introduction of the] Green Spine, I think it will sabotage our livelihood, our business. It’s going to be tough.”
But he acknowledged: “I think it will generate more parking and more people coming into Geelong.”
Halong cafe owner Kim Duong, however, said the works – including the removal of the bike lane from the front of her store – made little sense.
“They spent $8 million and now they’re digging it up again? Such a waste of money,” Ms Duong said. “It will get very dusty and dirty, and noisy.”
“If there’s a traffic jam, just make it a one-way street – like every other city in the world does. It looks beautiful as it is. I love it.”
Timezone duty manager Renee Smith also welcomed the changes, saying it could boost business at the arcade.
“It will be easier for people to get through the city,” Ms Smith said. “The lack of parking now makes it harder for us on weekends, especially with parties trying to come in.”