Heritage advocates have condemned V/Line's handling of the Ballarat station in a submission on restoring the Lydiard Street gates permanently.
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Last month, Heritage Victoria called for public submissions on a plan to reopen Lydiard Street to traffic with temporary boom gates.
The crossing has been closed since a train accident in May 2020, and the state government has promised to reopen it, at least temporarily by October.
The plan, which included a heritage impact statement submitted on V/Line's behalf, was torn to shreds by Save Our Station, which has long criticised the agency's approach to maintaining heritage.
The submission slams the lack of transparency over timeframes for the temporary solution, and calls for a $2.1 million security - 20 per cent of the project's $10.5m budget - for the gates to be returned to their "original operating state" within 12 months of the heritage permit being issued, to be included in the heritage permit.
"In the event that the conditions ... are not met within the appointed time, the funds will be forfeited in favour of the people of Ballarat, via the Ballarat City Council, in recognition of the damages they have suffered by the crossing closure since May 30, 2020, and the loss they have taken to the heritage integrity of their most significant heritage streetscape," the submission states.
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It also calls for stricter deadlines, with "a new Conservation Management Plan for the entire Ballarat Railway Station precinct commenced within three months of the issuing of the heritage permit, and completed with HV sign-off, within twelve months of that issuing date".
The submission notes the station's current state, with "cornices falling from the building", lingering fire damage, and heritage components like signalling left in limbo.
Preliminary work has begun on the temporary boom gates, however the permanent automated signalling system is not expected to be installed until at least 2022.
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