MT Eliza resident Christine Richards is concerned about planned overnight cleaning works in the village centre and says the timing will cause serious disruption for residents.
Richards lodged an objection with the Mornington Peninsula Shire after being notified that contractors Fulton Hogan would be conducting footpath cleaning works between 10pm and 6am from 17 to 22 November.
She said some of the work will take place directly below her bedroom window and involve machinery fitted with reverse beepers, which she described as “loud, penetrating beepers which carry considerably in the usual quiet of the night”.
While Richards does support the cleaning of the footpaths, as they “haven’t been properly cleaned for years”, she said the timeframe for the works is unacceptable in an area which includes both commercial properties and residential apartments.
Richards said the situation highlights a broader issue with the way council services are planned and scheduled in mixed-use zones, such as Mt Eliza Village or Mornington.
“I don’t think that council has been creative enough in supporting residences,” she said.
“The commercial sector is just great, but let’s be a bit more creative in the times that we can actually engage with these types of works.”
Richards is asking the shire to use greater creativity when scheduling noisy works, and suggested, for example, that the cleaning start at 6:30pm on Mondays, when businesses are closed, and finish by 10pm, rather than working through the night.
She emailed Cr Stephen Batty regarding the issue and “received a prompt response”, letting her know he would follow up.
A shire spokesperson said the work has been scheduled to minimise the impact on local businesses and residents.
“We have asked the contractor to consider starting earlier in the evening and to be as flexible as possible to work around specific requests,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson advised that local businesses and residents have been given a contact number for the site supervisor who can respond to specific requests.
Richards said there have been previous issues with street cleaning in the middle of the night, including in recent weeks, when street sweepers operate with reverse beepers after midnight.
“It’s not just an issue for Mt Eliza,” Richards said.
“It’s an issue for anywhere with that balance of commercial and residences.”
First published in the Mornington News – 18 November 2025
