‘Here’s the jail’: Renewed fears for future of Burrill Lake after bypass windfall

South coast business and community leaders have renewed calls for transparency on the future of Burrill Lake as funding for the Milton-Ulladulla bypass balloons.

Plans for increased funding for a key south coast bypass have been met with mixed reactions as local leaders raise concerns for the future of a popular tourist town.

An additional $352 million was allocated to construction of the Milton-Ulladulla Bypass in Tuesday’s federal budget, drawing bipartisan praise ahead of the federal election.

Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips welcomed the announcement, stating that she “fought tirelessly” to bring forward federal funding for the Princes Highway.

Ms Phillips will square off with former state member for Bega Andrew Constance when voters go to the polls. Mr Constance also welcomed the funding windfall.

In a Facebook video, Mr Constance said the community had waited long enough.

“This now enables the work to get on,” he said.

In the video, Mr Constance also acknowledged the need for more community consultation to resolve outstanding issues at the bypass’ southern end, at Burrill Lake.

The $940 million project will skirt the popular tourist towns of Ulladulla, Mollymook, and Milton, with the on-ramps at Little Forest and Canberra Cres near the popular lakeside town.

Issues surrounding the connection of the bypass back with the Princes Highway before the two-lane bridge near Burrill Lake have been the subject of protracted debate.

Plans to upgrade the Princes Highway were separately proposed by Transport for NSW last year, with the final round of community consultation being held in November 2021.

According to the Transport for NSW website, no final decision was made regarding the upgrade, with options presented being “extremely varied”.

With TfNSW’s preferred option due to be released sometime this year, local community groups have expressed concern that the increased funding will be used to address a bottleneck in the area resulting from the new bypass, possibly by expanding the bridge.

Burrill Lake Community Association president Ian Carrol warned the prospect of a four-lane bridge could be disastrous for locals who might be forced out in the process.

Lakeside houses and piers were partly submerged on March 3 as heavy rains swells lakes and rivers in Burrill Lake. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

“There could be 200-250 people displaced out of Burrill Lake if the four-lane bridge is constructed,” Mr Carrol warned, stating that as many as 80-90 properties could be impacted.

As for local shops, Mr Carrol stated that: “Businesses will struggle because drivers won’t be able to get off the four-lane, 100km highway,” he said.

“Traffic will just go straight through.”

At the heart of the community’s concerns is a lack of transparency, Mr Carroll said.

The purpose of the additional funding has not been disclosed, and is significantly disproportionate when stacked up against similar projects near Nowra, he believes.

“We don’t know what all the extra money is for,” he said.

“Is it tacked on to get the highway through Burrill Lake? Previously, the section of the highway was unfunded.

“The only finding there was for the Milton-Ulladulla bypass.”

Mr Carroll compared the project to the $580 million 12.5km Berry bypass near Nowra, costing roughly $46 million a kilometre.

In comparison, Mr Carrol said the Milton-Ulladulla Bypass is 13km, with the road costing $76 million a kilometre if funds are used exclusively for the bypass.

While Business Milton Ulladulla president Matt Dell welcomed the increased investment in the area, he too shared concerns the project would have a negative impact on Burrill Lake.

“The bypass is desperately needed,” he said.

“The whole town of Milton is a backlog that gets longer and longer as the years go on.

“But the wrong bypass will be disastrous. We have to get it right from the first go around.”

Mr Dell said current plans for the bypass only pushed the traffic congestion problems onto Burrill Lake if the bridge there was not upgraded, but feared the projects were being considered separately.

He warned that the government was not considering what the next phase would look like.

“The changes to people’s lives in Burrill Lake are significant,” he said.

“If you bring the highway out in between Ulladulla and Burrill Lake, you must then fundamentally change the nature of Burrill Lake because there you need to put two lanes either way.

“The bridge will need to be widened, but while you do that, the bridge will need to be closed, which cannot be done.”

Another proposition, Mr Dell said, was to build a second, new bridge through Lions Park.

That prospect would also have dire consequences, Mr Carrol warned, stating that the project could force people out of the region.

“Where do they go?” He asked.

“This is something that’s happening all over the south coast, there is no affordable housing.

“They won’t have any say, they’ll just have to find somewhere else.”

While multiple options had been put forward by Transport for NSW, Mr Carrol said throughout the community consultation, they were not allowed to put forward their own.

“They said: Here’s the jail, we’ll let you design it,” Mr Carrol said.

A spokesperson for Transport for NSW told The South Coast News that details regarding the design features, including connections and intersection treatment types within the bypass corridor have not been confirmed and will be refined as the concept development phase continues.

“Transport for NSW is considering the feedback received during the Burrill Lake Co-Design process to assist in our planning for the southern connection of the bypass at Burrill Lake,” the spokesperson said.

“No final decision has been made on an option through Burrill Lake, which forms part of the Burrill Lake to Batemans Bay study.

“We will continue to engage with the wider community and ensure they are kept informed and involved in the upgrade project as it progresses.

“A draft report on the Burrill Lake Co-Design process is currently being prepared and will go to the Co-Design Committee for review, with the final report expected to be available to the wider community in mid-2022.”

The spokesperson did not confirm how the funding will be used, and did not respond to questions about whether it will be used in Burrill Lake.