THE long-awaited section of the Bay Trail from Charman Rd to the Mentone Lifesaving Club was officially opened last Wednesday (7 October).
Kingston mayor Cr Geoff Gledhill welcomed the opening of the pathway for cyclists and walkers along the foreshore before the warmer summer weather arrives.
“The Bay Trail project is an important link to promote cycling and walking around Port Phillip Bay and will be a fantastic community asset,” Cr Gledhill said.
The new 600-metre section of the Bay Trail, a further step towards a single continuous bike path around Port Phillip Bay, has not been built without controversy.
Community groups the Kingston Residents Association, the Mordialloc-Beaumaris Conservation League and the Kingston Conservation & Environment Coalition argued at VCAT in April that council was removing too much vegetation to build the 3-metre wide pathway between Charman Rd and the lifesaving club.
The tribunal ruled Kingston Council could proceed with the plan to build the section of the Bay Trail.
Kingston councillors now await a report on building the next section of the Bay Trail to link the path from Mentone to Mordialloc.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 14 October 2015
