Hove residents protest plan to build railway bridge at Hove on Brighton Road
An emotional protest against a planned 1.5km concrete rail bridge over Brighton Road has heard it would destroy homes and dissect the community.
SA News
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A new concrete railway bridge over Brighton Road would be an eyesore and divide the community, the local mayor says, as residents rallied in protest over the development.
Crowds gathered at the Hove Railway Station crossing on Sunday, opposing a plan to build a $300m rail-over bridge on Brighton Road. They urged the State Government to support a rail-under option.
At the protest, Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson said the 1.5km bridge would “dissect” Brighton, “destroy homes” and the community.
“It will be an eyesore for our community, it will divide our community, and we’re concerned it will devalue one of the most premier beautiful beachside suburbs in Australia by having this monstrosity through it.”
She encouraged residents to write to Transport Minister Corey Wingard to oppose the bridge option.
It was revealed earlier this year that sixteen residents who live in single-storey Housing SA units next to the Seaford line received a relocation letter in January.
An emotional Lyn Townsend, speaking through tears, said she received a letter from the State Government in December to say her rental home would be compulsorily acquired in the project. She’s lived in the area for 40 years.
“It said you’ve got until the end of May, maybe June at the very latest to vacate the premises and to leave,” Ms Townsend said.
“I don’t drive. everything that I require is here, within walking distance, all my friends, all my family, my children grew up here. I don’t want to move.”
Costings reveal a rail-under option would cost $450m, while the bridge would cost $300m.
Labor infrastructure and transport spokesman Tom Koutsantonis attended the protest and said the costings for the project were baseless
“I find it very hard to believe that rail-under would cost over $400m,” Mr Koutsantonis.
He said he would ask the Commonwealth Parliamentary Budget Office to find out “what these numbers are”.
Leading the protest, Hove resident and Brighton business owner Jane Fleming said residents want the government to better investigate a rail-under option.
“Why can’t their engineers come up with a solution to go under, no temporary train line, and run buses from Brighton to Oaklands for the time of the build,” Ms Fleming said.
“Let us know how many homes are going to be acquired. We don’t want to lose homes in our community, we don’t want to lose our Norfolk pines that line Addison Road, it’s a signature of the city of Holdfast Bay.”
Mr Wingard said no decision for the project has been made yet but the department had concluded a round of community consultation.
He said five homes would be acquired in the bridge-over option, while 46 homes would be acquired in the bridge-`under option.
“I welcome the council’s endorsement of this project. Given they’ve thrown their support behind the most expensive option, and the option that takes away dozens more properties and has the greatest disruption to services, I would expect that council makes up the shortfall financially for that option should we go down that path.”
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