A plan to acquire swathes of land along Tarneit and Sayers roads so service lanes can be built has been rejected by Wyndham council.
Councillors knocked back the proposal at their July 27 meeting, arguing it would have an unfair impact on neighbouring residents.
The plan proposed to amend the local planning scheme to allow the council to acquire parts of the blocks facing both roads, should the properties be sold for urban development.
Properties that are not sold would not be affected by the acquisition amendment, a report to the council stated. The service roads would be built as properties adjacent to each other were developed.
The report deemed the plan necessary to cope with a future influx of traffic from residential redevelopments and to reduce the number of access points onto Tarneit and Sayers
roads, especially if multi-unit housing was developed.
But most councillors were unconvinced and remained concerned that the plan was not fair to residents.
Their view was that it was not necessary to build service roads in the area.
The council received 70 submissions from 49 people about the plan, with about 30 residents attending the meeting to make their opposition known.
Residents applauded the councillors when the proposal was rejected.
Councillors Heather Marcus and Marie Brittan urged their fellow councillors and council staff to consider other options.
“I don’t think we should entertain this. It’s not fair and equitable,” Cr Brittan said.
Cr Khan said it was unfair that residents be asked to forego sections of their land.
However, Cr Gautam Gupta argued that the plan was necessary to reduce traffic congestion in the area.
“If the service roads are not put in, the situation is only going to get worse,” he said.
“We need to talk about the thousands of cars that will use Tarneit Road.”
