Thursday, 23 February 2023

Adjournment

Sandringham electorate infrastructure

Brad ROWSWELL (Sandringham) (17:12): (61) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and the action that I seek is for the minister to immediately establish a cross-agency working group consisting of the Level Crossing Removal Project, the Suburban Rail Loop, the Department of Transport and Planning, Development Victoria and both the Kingston and Bayside councils for the purposes of current projects in both Highett and Cheltenham, including the level crossing removals at Highett and Wickham roads, the establishment of the Suburban Rail Loop at the Sir William Fry Reserve and the future of the former Gas and Fuel land on Nepean Highway in Highett. Currently we have the Level Crossing Removal Project planning the crossing removals at Highett Road and Wickham Road. A few metres away we have Development Victoria overseeing plans to extensively develop the former Gas and Fuel site, and next door to that we have the Sir William Fry Reserve, which is intended to be the new Cheltenham station for the Suburban Rail Loop.

In discussions with both Kingston and Bayside councils and local residents, there are great and legitimate concerns that these projects will all proceed without coordination and with a possible detrimental outcome for our community as a result. Last year Kingston council undertook significant community consultation on how these three projects could be better designed so as to protect our natural environment and green spaces and to enhance the connectivity between both rail lines and ultimately bring about the best outcome for residents of both Highett and Cheltenham. Consultation with the community has informed carefully planned designs, and I encourage the minister also to review the body of work by Kingston council. Because these three major infrastructure projects must be viewed as a single project, it simply cannot continue to be operated by three individual agencies who have individual interests. Doing so, I fear, would be to the long-term detriment of our community. We need smarter planning, community input and better outcomes, and I implore the minister to create this cross-agency working group as a matter of priority.