Park Lane upgrade on drawing board

MICK MARRS has lived in Lennox Head for 14 years, and that's also how long he has been waiting for Park Lane to be upgraded.

MICK MARRS has lived in Lennox Head for 14 years, and that’s also how long he has been waiting for Park Lane to be upgraded.

“There’s always another excuse for it not to be done,” he said.

“But the main reason is just there has never been enough money.

“There are potholes everywhere, the road needs kerbs and gutters and we need street lights and better parking.

“It’s been bad for a long time.”

The lane is one of the busiest roads in Lennox Head, running parallel to the main street and providing access between Williams Reserve, the shops and the beach.

Ballina Shire Council had allocated $700,000 for the project in this year’s budget, but it has not been spent.

Civil services group manager John Truman said work had been delayed because of hold-ups with the Lennox Head Community Centre.

“Once the centre is finished, we can start work on upgrades to Park Lane,” he said.

That project has been pushed back by at least four months because the council sacked its architectural firm and hired a new one.

Therefore it is unlikely that any work will be done on Park Lane until some time next year.

But it’s not all bad news.

Groups such as the Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce and the Lennox Head Residents’ Association had raised concerns that the plans did not include street lights.

But Mr Truman this week said the council was trying to reorganise the way the funding was being spent so street lighting could be included in the upgrade.

“We are attempting to incorporate street lighting by making some savings in other areas. It’s something that we are still working on,” he said.

This is a step in the right direction, according to the president of the Lennox Head Residents’ Association, Fred Goodman.

He said it was ‘very clear’ from a meeting held to discuss the council’s proposed rate rise that people wanted street lighting included in the upgrade of Park Lane.

“People were very concerned that lighting hadn’t been included at that time,” Mr Goodman said. “And the road is in such a bad state at the moment.”

The upgrade of Park Lane will include road pavement reconstruction, new formalised parking, footpaths, kerbs and upgraded stormwater drainage.

Originally published as Park Lane upgrade on drawing board