Caulfield East, Carnegie residents overshadowed by sky rail track beam on Grange Rd

A MAMMOTH sky rail track beam overshadowing Grange Rd in Caulfield East has been erected, leaving fed-up residents itching to sell.

Sky rail at Grange Rd, Caulfield East. Picture: Elizabeth Sabatini

A MAMMOTH sky rail track beam overshadowing Grange Rd in Caulfield East has been erected, leaving fed-up residents itching to sell.

Construction in the area has been ongoing for almost two years for the $1.6 billion project, designed to remove nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line.

The beam across Grange Rd, near Dandenong Rd, was the latest to be put up last week.

Carnegie mum Michelle Bennett lives in Girdwood Ave and wants to sell up once construction finishes at the end of this year.

She said sky rail had turned her street into a mile-high concrete jungle.

Despite living beside the highest point of the rail — up to 18 metres high — she missed out on the voluntary buyback scheme as her home was not directly on the rail corridor.

But she said her house was closer than many that were bought up.

“Under the current plans for landscaping, they’re not even planting any trees on our side — we just get some feature rocks,” Ms Bennett said.

“There’s not one redeeming feature of this project and we’re unsure of what to do next.”

Caulfield East’s Elizabeth Sabatini said “life as we know it is over”.

“If you don’t live here in Caulfield East or Carnegie you will never understand,” she said.

But one fellow resident said he was reserving his judgment until the project was completed, and the trees had been planted.

“So many times, I have seen people fearing and objecting to a development only to find that in fact parking and traffic was not affected, and the concerns of the residents actually were not warranted,” Peter said.

“The sky rail is here to stay, no point worrying over what ifs.”

Project Director Brett Summers said he was looking forward to the community seeing the final vision realised.

“A big part of that is a new walking and cycling route that will provide a direct connection from Caulfield’s Monash Uni campus right through to Murrumbeena Village and on to Hughesdale,” Mr Summers said.

Up to 350 eligible properties will be sent letters and ­offered fences and shrubs to give them privacy.

Premier Daniel Andrews said last year the project would create “11 MCGs” of open space below new tracks.

But opposition planning spokesman David Davis said people gasped when they saw the monstrous size of the structure millimetres from people’s properties.

“The full size and impact has yet to be seen,” he said.

“It will be visible kilometres away, a noisy, ugly blight on southeastern suburbs.”