By Rhett Burnie
LANDOWNERS who received a notice in 2006 telling them their property had been earmarked for a proposed duplication of the Northern Highway are still no closer to having the hold on their properties removed.
More than 40 property owners from Kilmore, Bylands, Hidden Valley and Wallan had a Section 32 notice placed on their properties by VicRoads five years ago.
At the time, the duplication was touted as an alternative to a bypass by the then Labor State Government and VicRoads.
But in May this year the Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, pulled rank on the project, saying the Baillieu Government would not fund it.
“There is no funding for a duplication, we are funding the bypass,” Mr Mulder said.
While planning for the bypass is under way, the State Government’s stance on the duplication has been contradicted by VicRoads, with a letter from the road authority’s regional director Mal Kersting to Hidden Valley resident Kathy Tolli stating the duplication will go ahead.
“It will also be necessary to continue to plan for local traffic growth in this corridor and this is why the Government has asked VicRoads to complete planning for the future duplication of the Northern Highway south of Kilmore,” the letter read.
The letter was written in response to a query by Ms Tolli, asking when a Section 32 on 100 metres of her property, would be removed.
Ms Tolli said VicRoads’ confirmation of the project had added to her frustration and she felt the State Government had lied to residents.
“I have become a little frustrated with hearing from everyone, including (Member for Seymour) Cindy McLeish that the Duplication of the Northern Highway has been cancelled,” she said.
“The letter I got clearly shows that it hasn’t been (cancelled).”
The Section 32s made it hard for property owners to renovate or sell their properties, Ms Tolli said.
“I just think that it’s so unfair.”
Wallan Kilmore Bypass Group president Brian Mawhinney agrees.
“People can’t do a damn thing until a decision has been made,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s a big job, it doesn’t take days or months (to take the notices off).
“You put them on, you take them off.”
But Member for Seymour, Cindy McLeish - who admitted she was “confused” by VicRoads’ response to Ms Tolli - said the Section 32s needed to be in place.
“They don’t want to risk taking them off and putting them back on,” she said.
She said as far as she knew the duplication had been scrapped but it was “essential” to “look at other traffic solutions.”
The Member for Northern Victoria, Donna Petrovich, said she was concerned people were confusing the duplication issue with the State Government’s $130 million Kilmore-Wallan bypass.
“I think we need to come up with another name for this,” she said.
Ms Tolli dismissed Ms Petrovich’s worry, saying she was not confused at all.
“We know the difference between the bypass and duplication,” she said
Meanwhile Mr Kersting would not rule out the duplication.
“VicRoads’ priority is to complete the planning to allow for construction of a bypass of Kilmore and Wallan by 2017.
“Our focus is on the planning for the bypass and planning activities are well under way, however it is also important to finalise the earlier local traffic options so that VicRoads, the Shire and local landowners all have a common understanding of the future development needs for the area,” he said.
He did not say when – or if - property owners could expect to have the section 32s removed from their properties.
Mr Mulder did not return calls from The North Central Review before the time of going to press.
