Residents of Geelong’s ‘forgotten’ estate demand answers following five year delay on promised amenities
Families in one of Geelong’s fastest-growing suburbs fed up over constant delays and safety concerns say a developer has fallen short of promises in key amenities. Now, they’re demanding answers.
Geelong
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An Armstrong Creek mother is voicing her concerns for children’s safety in her housing estate, years after she says promised infrastructure should have been delivered.
Ashbury Estate residents’ action group spokesman Madison-Lea Chalker said the developers, Dennis Family Corporation (DFC), had promised 18km of walking tracks, two ovals, playgrounds, and supporting road infrastructure in the masterplan when she bought her home in 2017.
She said the majority of the promised amenities have not materialised.
“In 2022, we’ve got one park – it’s a slide with two swings,” Ms Chalker said.
“Even my children, 5 and 2, are bored of it.
“They’re not giving any real reason why (the amenities are) not developed, or when they will be.”
At the top of Ms Chalker and other residents’ list of concerns is safety.
Ms Chalker said schoolchildren had to cross or walk along the “very busy” Boundary Rd.
“It is very unsafe,” she said.
“There’s going to be an injury or a fatality there.”
Ms Chalker said there are also children walking through tall grass to access a bus stop to travel to school.
“Meanwhile (a neighbouring estate) has a bus stop in the estate,” she said.
“We’re feeling quite forgotten about and (that) promises of facilities are not (being) upheld.
“It’s about concerns of safety, concerns of how much further will we be lagging behind before they do something about it?”
Ms Chalker claimed DFC and City of Greater Geelong were handing responsibility for the delays “back and forth to each other”.
“The developers are not taking responsibility nor is council,” she said.
“No one really has any indication of why they’ve been delayed.
“As residents we’re asking, who does it fall with?”
Ms Chalker said the situation was “frustrating” and that residents had waited “long enough”.
Corangamite MP Libby Coker has launched a petition to lobby the council for facilities.
“Residents shouldn’t have to fight for basic services and facilities like walking and bike paths, playgrounds, sporting and community facilities and road traffic treatments,” Ms Coker said. “They bought into the estate at premium prices, with promises of a high-quality community infrastructure and services. It’s evident that is not what’s beingdelivered. Th e estate already has about 600 residences.
DFC chief executive officer Peter Levinge said the developers took their responsibility to deliver the project “very seriously”.
He said the delayed delivery of amenities like road infrastructure and facilities was dependent on many factors.
“In many cases, (amenities) can only be completed once various stages, population numbers, completion of adjoining estates, safety measures and key deliverables are achieved,” he said.
Mr Levinge said the delivery of a Horseshoe Bend Road/Boundary Road intersection upgrade was dependent on the council’s land acquisition and approval.
City of Greater Geelong director of city planning and economy Gareth Smith said Ashbury Estate is one of the first estates within the Horseshoe Bend Precinct in Armstrong
Creek.
“Local level infrastructure is delivered by developers in line with their planning permit and the staged rollout of the estate,” he said.
Mr Smith said “with multiple developers working to various time frames, temporary gaps can occur in the road and footpath network”.
He said the city was working to deliver the estate’s drainage link to the Sparrovale Wetlands. “Once this is in place, the temporary drainage basin which is located on the future active open
space land can be removed,” he said.
“Works on the active open space would then be able to start.”
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Originally published as Residents of Geelong’s ‘forgotten’ estate demand answers following five year delay on promised amenities
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