Residents whose homes will be badly affected by a new bridge unlocking one of Melbourne's worst traffic chokepoints say the Andrews government is trying to turn their fight to protect their houses into a battle between them and Guide Dogs Victoria.
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Guide Dogs Victoria's headquarters have been in Kew, next to the Yarra River, since 1962.
More than 200 properties stand on the other side of the river, in a small pocket of Alphington next to the busy Chandler Highway.
Between them lies the 124-year-old, two-lane Chandler Highway Bridge which VicRoads wants to be expanded to six lanes to resolve the traffic bottleneck.
If VicRoads gets its way, 35 properties will face directly onto a new six-lane highway. A further 230 will have their road access badly restricted.
The Alphington residents group formed to address the issue said VicRoads has deliberately chosen a route next to their homes because it is cheaper and involves less land acquisition.
They also say VicRoads has used the Guide Dogs' location across the river to justify the decision.
"No one wants to take on a battle with the guide dogs – that would be like taking on Mother Teresa. We are all big supporters," Tiffany Crawford-Lane said.
She said a route could easily be found that did not impact on residents or the Guide Dogs, if VicRoads was willing to find a solution.
She also said VicRoads had run a "completely inadequate" process to decide on its preferred route, with no consideration of the impact on their homes. "Their material hasn't had any consideration of social impacts," she said.
Two of VicRoads' options to widen the Chandler Highway Bridge. Its preferred option, bottom.
But VicRoads project director Damien Afxentis said the roads authority had successfully engaged with the community to help shape the Chandler Highway project.
He said VicRoads was working to address issues like noise, traffic impacts, and the social and environmental impacts of the project.
Guide Dogs Victoria chief executive Karen Hayes said any decision to move the new major river crossing over the Yarra closer to its Kew headquarters would hurt the organisation.
The nation's biggest provider of guide dogs, it plans to significantly redevelop its 10-acre Kew headquarters, where 160 puppies are bred each year.
There are also offices for 120 staff, and residential facilities for the blind and vision impaired. School and tour groups visit the complex regularly.
If the road project took land off Guide Dogs, its redevelopment plans would be difficult, Ms Hayes said. "The only place we could conceivably build a veterinary training facility and doggy day care centre is on the [property's] front."
Moves over the project have come to a head this week, with residents meeting Roads Minister Luke Donnellan and local MP Fiona Richardson. Both Yarra and Darebin councils have also asked VicRoads to rethink its plan for the project.
But VicRoads' preferred plan has garnered support from Boroondara Council, which covers Kew. It voted last week in support of VicRoads' preferred plan for the new bridge.
