A better place for a block of flats

By Letters to the Editor
Updated January 3 2018 - 8:04pm, first published 8:38am

A better place for a block of flats

A better place for a block of flats
A better place for a block of flats

I read with fascination in The Courier, Tuesday 2nd Jan 2018 where it is now suggested that the old fuel depot site in Creswick Road is being proposed to become a car park. If this is the case, how about Council arranging for the Pellicano Group to build their "4.5 to 5 Star" hotel there, instead of building the block of flats in the Railway Station Goods Yard. (There is direct access available from the station to the Creswick Road fuel depot site via the retired rail track.) Then, by using a bit of common sense, the whole of the available space in the railway yard, including the Goods Shed, could be used for public transport, additional car parking and a decent bus/coach transport hub. With some innovating planning (which is certainly missing at present) all urban buses and regional coaches would be off the streets and commuters and those searching for a daily parking space in the precinct would be facilitated. There could be 2,000 car parking spaces on the site. Now, that would make sense. The community well know that the convention centre/retail shops and the planned public space idea is a flop already so why go ahead and build it? I challenge the Mayor, Cr McIntosh and Deputy Mayor Cr Moloney to call a meeting with Vic Track, V/Line, the Pellicano Group, Save our Station group, local residents, Anthony Schinck and his cohorts from Regional Development, local accommodation providers and of course our local members of Parliament, Jaala Pulford, Sharon Knight and Geoff Howard. I have no doubt the Premier and the Minister for Transport would love to also come to the proposed meeting and listen to the concerns of those who are interested in seeing much better use of the railway land than what is proposed by the experts from Melbourne who seem to have all of the say. The media, including The Courier should also be invited to report the news. It would appear that all negotiations at present are being held behind closed doors and the real truth needs to come out into the open. Such a meeting as proposed above would assist in clearing the air on this major situation in the heart of our great city. The time is now for action and not in ten years having the experts say, "They should have done that!" It’s not too late.

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