SOME Frankston councillors fear being railroaded into accepting an “intrusive” elevated rail line from Mordialloc to Frankston as part of the state government’s plan to remove level crossings from the Frankston line but the majority of their colleagues feel it is too soon to worry about a so-called Sky Rail plan.
The Labor state government has committed to separate rail and road at eleven locations along the Frankston line including rail crossings at Carrum’s Eel Race Rd, Seaford’s Seaford Rd and Frankston’s Skye Rd/Overton Rd intersections.
A motion by Cr Glenn Aitken to have council call a meeting with the Level Crossings Authority to “further discuss the elevation of the railway lines and other options to facilitate the removal of level crossings” was defeated five-two at this month’s meeting amid much debate about how an elevated rail line would affect neighbourhoods along the Frankston line.
“People will lose privacy because they will have commuters looking down into their yards. It will be visually intrusive,” Cr Aitken said.
“In my opinion it will increase the ability of that noise to travel a far greater distance and impact on people far more greatly.”
Cr Darrel Taylor said communities along the Cranbourne-Pakenham line were presented with one option “and that was Sky Rail”.
“It wasn’t community consultation, it was a marketing job. It was rammed down their throat,” he said.
“This will divide communities and create noise and visual intrusiveness.”
Cr Taylor believed property prices will drop due to the loss of bay views.
“Worst of all it will create communities who come ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’ when this is built,” he said.
Crs Colin Hampton, Sandra Mayer and mayor Cr James Dooley argued it was too soon to be meeting with the Labor state government to discuss elevated rail as an option since no formal plans have been publicly released.
“I think it’s a little bit premature, you could call it a kneejerk reaction. We haven’t had an uproar from our community,” Cr Mayer said.
She believed it more appropriate to discuss options with the government at this stage.
“At the moment there’s no massive community hysteria in our local community about this so it just feels like it’s a little bit premature.”
Cr Dooley noted there are no details of any so-called Sky Rail plan.
“I haven’t seen any details. I am voting on something I don’t even have any details of,” he said.
Cr Taylor warned elevated rail “will be an absolute bloody eyesore and we will be regretting this in 20 years’ time.”
“This council needs to take a stand, especially for the communities along Seaford and Carrum, and needs to say to the government that it’s unacceptable,” he said.
“This is not what they took to the election – they never said they were going to do Sky Rail at the election. They said they’re going to do grade separations and now say they are going to do the cheapest option.”
Crs Taylor and Aitken voted to discuss the prospect of elevated rail with the government. Crs Mayer, Hampton, Michael O’Reilly and Rebekah Spelman voted against the mooted meeting at this time.
