New San Remo junior campus reignites Shetland Heights Rd concerns
The junior school campus of Wonthaggi Secondary College earmarked for San Remo has reignited residents’ safety concerns over a nearby busy, unsealed road.
Bass Coast News
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The new junior school campus of Wonthaggi Secondary College set to open in San Remo has reignited concerns over a busy, unsealed road.
Residents on Shetland Heights Rd have been advocating for years to get the road resurfaced. But now with the college’s new campus opening on connecting Potters Hill Rd, they believe road maintenance is a necessity.
San Remo resident Bronwyn Pratt has been frustrated for years about the conditions of Shetland Heights Rd.
“We have had a few near misses,” Ms Pratt told The Bass Coast News.
“A lot of people have had accidents along this road because it’s dirt and there are so many holes.”
She said the new campus will attract more vehicles and evidently increase the hazardous conditions.
“There will be increased traffic and the lack of footpaths means more pedestrian and bikes on the road,” she said.
“This causes more danger to the locals that live here,” she said.
Bass State Labor Jordan Crugnale MP said all proposed works to Shetland Heights Rd rest with Bass Coast Shire Council as identified in the San Remo Strategy adopted in August 2013.
“While Shetland Heights are not within the school building scope, all responsible agencies will work together to ensure the movement of traffic and pedestrians is safe and well planned,” Ms Crugnale said.
Wonthaggi Secondary College’s new San Remo junior campus will house Year 7 to Year 9 students and is set to open in 2022.
As part of the works to construct the new campus, Potters Hill Rd will be resurfaced to the end of the new school property boundary, which is south of Shetland Heights Rd.
A footpath will be installed along Potters Hill Rd, along with full kerb and channel system.
The proposed school will include some ‘drop and go’ car parks within the school boundary with the exit returning to Potters Hill Rd and it will be a right turn only.
“The intent is to direct traffic onto the sealed section of Potters Hill Rd and out onto Phillip Island Rd, rather than encouraging parents to use Shetland Heights Rd,” Ms Crugnale said.
“We all want traffic and pedestrian movement in the area to be safe, accessible and planned properly at the outset.”
A Bass Coast Shire spokeswoman said council is currently working with the Victorian School Building Authority’s Engineering Consultant to achieve the “best infrastructure outcomes”.
“We are close to resolving the state’s position regarding their intentions to upgrade Shetland Heights Rd and are continuing to advocate as hard as we can for an appropriate upgrade,” she said.
The design process of the new campus should be finalised in the coming months.
Ms Pratt said the road should be sealed as soon as possible.
“We are a major access road in and out of San Remo and most of us live on large acreage and pay big rates to council,” she said.
“How long do we have to wait? How long before someone is killed or injured?”
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