Gisborne residents are furious with the mismanagement of a development site that has hindered their daily life for the past six months.
About 700 people live in the streets adjacent to an estate being developed, titled Rosalia, which is expected to build 861 dwellings near Gisborne’s town centre.
At a ‘pop-in’ meeting for residents to meet with council and the developers last Tuesday – that was initially postponed due to high interest – residents fired off about their living conditions.
Concerns included dust littering their homes and killing their gardens; workers onsite leaving their lunch rubbish on their front lawns; all four exit points for the residents leaving home being blocked off simultaneously; a lack of communication as to what is occurring; and a dangerous lack of signage that developer Winslow and the council were unaware of – specifically regarding fast cars at the entrance of a childcare centre.
At the meeting, one resident said, “as residents, we’re living in a project site. But we aren’t being communicated with. We aren’t stakeholders in this project”.
Another resident said, “council blocked this project, but were taken to VCAT and had their pants pulled down… now they have a responsibility but aren’t doing anything”.
One of the roads currently blocked, Swinburne Ave, confused residents over who had right of way; cars that usually stopped to give way were now continuing straight to enter a childcare centre at an intersection.
A resident asked, “Can anyone from council or the developer tell me who has right of way?”
All representatives from council and Winslow admitted they didn’t know.
Graffiti has since appeared on the blockade at this intersection stating, ‘Council don’t care’.
A ‘give way’ sign has since been installed.
GISBORNE, YOU’RE GETTING MORE TRAFFIC LIGHTS
Winslow confirmed to residents that traffic lights were approved by VCAT to be installed on Gisborne’s two way carriageway, Station Road, where residents around the development site, exit into town.
A third party traffic report, commissioned by council, concluded “Station Road is the only road around Gisborne that is approaching this theoretical capacity”. It suggested, “new road infrastructure in the form of a Gisborne bypass is flagged as a potential option to divert heavy vehicles from Station Road”. It provided hypothetical drawings of where the bypass could be located and it was where the development site stands.
One resident responded to the installation of traffic lights and said, “what about the trucks? They won’t be able to stop there”, indicating his local knowledge that trucks travel slowly up the hill of Station Road due to its steep incline.
“They won’t be able to start again after stopping for a traffic light,” he said.
