THE Mornington Peninsula may have 373 kilometres of unmade roads, but not everyone shares the shire’s ambition of wanting them all sealed.
Nine property owners in Ailsa Street, Mount Martha have signed a petition against a concrete drive being made across a nature strip, as it affects the streets “consistency of appearance”.
The short street running between Bay and Watson Roads has a category B designation under the shire’s unmade roads list, which means it has a “moderate priority for construction”. Category A roads will be “considered for construction with the next five to 10 years”.
Asset protection team leader Jesse Bell, in a report to council, said signatories to the petition were concerned about the concrete drive’s effect of the street’s appearance and “potential drainage issues”.
Bell said the concrete driveway was a requirement of the planning permit and approved engineering plans.
“Both the permit and the approved engineering plans require the additional crossover … to be constructed in accordance with Mornington Peninsula Shire Council standards, which require a sealed concrete or asphalt surface,” Bell said.
“There are no standards or specifications for a crushed rock vehicle crossing that can be used to permit a crushed rock vehicle crossing in this location.”
The shire’s unmade roads construction strategy categorises unmade roads according to their impacts on the environment and economy as well as traffic and accidents.
There are 1083 unmade roads (373 kilometres) in the municipality, including 165 kilometres within the urban growth boundary.
“The impact of these roads on the environment, the local economy and the community is significant and given the increase in population and development on the peninsula and the need for more permanent roads and drainage infrastructure has become a high priority,” the strategy states.
First published in the Mornington News – 7 March 2023
