Final $6.8b East West Link design ignores government’s own expert planning advice
From The Age, September 30, 2014, Clay Lucas and Richard Willingham,
The final design for the East West Link ignores key planning issues identified by the Napthine government’s hand-picked experts, including relocating a ventilation stack away froma primary school, and removing a massive spaghetti junction that will replace parkland.
A 10-storey tunnel ventilation stack will be built in Collingwood, near homes and the Clifton Hill Primary School, despite the government’s project assessment committee saying it should be located hundreds of metres to the east.
The expert panel also recommended, in its final report to Planning Minister Matthew Guy in May, the complete deletion of a flyover at Hoddle Street nearby, but this was ignored and the new “soundwave” will be built.
And the government’s expert planners recommended the removal of the southbound connections to CityLink and the Tullamarine Freeway over Ross Straw Field in Parkville.
Instead, this recommendation was ignored, with the four new roads added to the spaghetti junction.
The government confirmed that, in all, 201 properties will be compulsorily or voluntarily acquired.
