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By Alexandra Falls and Amy Hume
IN a surprise decision that brought spontaneous applause from a packed public gallery, Mitchell Shire Council last night declined to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the controversial Linking Kilmore project.
From the outset it was very clear that the council was as divided and emotional as the residents they represent.
After moving her alternative motion, Cr Kelley Stewart confirmed that there were divisions within the council itself regarding the issue.
“The community is divided, [St Patrick's Primary School Council] is divided, this council is divided,” she said.
Concerns for the health of schoolchildren, safety, and pollution ultimately moved the voting towards an alternative motion.
Council will seek now a State Government commitment to retain the $36.5 million funding allocated to the Kilmore traffic management solutions in the May 2010 State Budget.
Planning for an external bypass was marked a priority for the Kilmore township.
Council will now ask the State Government and VicRoads to provide the Kilmore community with traffic signals at the intersection of Sydney Street and Union Street, together with improvements to the Northern Highway/Tootle Street/Mill Road/Harrington Drive intersection, and commence planning for an external bypass.
In other words, Council wants the Linking Kilmore Project but without the Link Road.
In consultation with the community, Council will progress with improving the connectivity of local Kilmore streets and neighbourhoods as identified in the Kilmore Traffic Study.
Council will investigate traffic management solutions for pedestrians, parking and traffic in the Kilmore schools’ precinct.
Council will also develop a Community Engagement Strategy to ensure continued community involvement and development in these projects.
Throughout a passionate debate it was revealed only Cr Sue Marstaellar, Cr Trevor Tobias and Cr Kevin Mulroney had reservations about discontinuing the Link Road proposal.
Cr Tobias advised critics of the link to “sit on the bluestone bridge and look at the traffic that flows through. There are 3000 cars on any given evening and 250 at the other end.
“They’ve disappeared somewhere into Kilmore. It could mean better used of the town of Kilmore.”
Cr Marstaellar said Kilmore traffic had always been an issue.
She said that many people who were not opposed to the Kilmore Link Road had not been vocal about their opinions, particularly at a public meeting held at Kilmore’s Trackside earlier this month.
“There were only 250 people in that room and 80 or 50 were from Wallan,” she said.
“I find that is not a great majority – there are 6000 people in the area.”
Cr Lee stated that he had felt poorly about the link proposal from the very beginning “This is not a good long-term solution for Kilmore- it creates more problems than it solves,” he said.
He said that seeing principal of St Patrick’s Primary School Keith Hunter stand up and flag his ‘serious concerns’ about pollution is when it ‘hit home’ for him that the Link was not the right thing to do.
“It’s clear that the community hates this proposal, by and large,” he said.
Cr Callaghan said the council needed to listen to the community.
“Councillors need to have an open mind and listen to the majority of opinion and support those who don’t want this project.”
This was met by applause from the gallery.
Cr Parker asserted his democratic election by the people and stated that he and the residents he had spoken to would be willing to let the funding go if it meant deferring the Link Road proposal.
Cr Callaghan said he believed that the entire issue had only caused ‘unnecessary stress and concern to the community.’
When the alternative motion was put, Cr Marstaellar, Cr Tobias and Cr Mulroney were the only councillors to vote against it.
Well-known protester against the Link Road proposal and secretary of the Wallan-Kilmore Bypass Group, Wendy Law, believes this decision is a ‘win for the community’.
“If the WKBG hadn’t fought the proposal it probably would have slipped through,” she said
When asked if he had ever experienced such an impassioned issue in his time at council, Mayor Bill Melbourne was adamant.
“No, never, not while I’ve been here and I’ve been here nine years,” he said.
When asked if he would like to see this level of public involvement towards council matters the future the mayor only laughed wearily.
“Not to this degree,” he said.