New Shorts Place access bid still alive
A COUNCILLOR’S bid to allow traffic to turn from Moorabool St into Shorts Place via Little Malop St’s west end has been kept alive, despite a recommendation against it.
Councillors on Tuesday night voted to “undertake further consultation” for the push to build a new roadway for traffic to turn from Moorabool St on to the popular strip.
In March, Cr Eddy Kontelj asked the council for a report into opening up the pedestrian strip to traffic from Moorabool St, but disagreed with the resulting report’s recommendation against the move.
“I still don’t think they’ve met the charter that was put forward,” Cr Kontelj said on Tuesday night.
“And in my opinion personally, I don’t think it’s right.”
“Exploring vehicle access into Shorts Place will encourage out-of-the-box thinking from investors, developers and business operators and will allow them to look more broadly at what that particular area of our exciting CBD could become in the future, including Belchers Corner and the buildings along Ryrie and Moorabool streets that back on to Shorts Place.”
Cr Kontelj said the move would also support the potential to permanently close Little Malop St to traffic between Shorts Place and Dennys Place.
The previous city report found a move to allow vehicle access into Little Malop St and Shorts Place via Moorabool St should not be pursued “at this time”. It said it would “impose negative impacts” on pedestrians, cyclists, buses and traffic flow on Moorabool St and “reverse regeneration gains and a people-focused environment in Central Geelong, along with failing to embrace changes that reflect best practice in city reshaping”.
Cr Kontelj’s move to open up access to Shorts Place came earlier this year as the council passed a motion to banish traffic from the key section of Little Malop St.
He had met with one of the city’s biggest developers, Bill Votsaris, — who owns two buildings on the corner of Little Malop St and Shorts Place, and another at the end of Shorts Place — the day before introducing his amendment.
Mr Votsaris confirmed he had handed a copy of his council submission to Cr Kontelj during the meeting, which included his recommendation to “support the total closure to all vehicles 24/7 from Dennys Lane to Shorts Place” and to “allow access to Shorts Place via Moorabool St 24/7”.