Sky rail bridge plan convinces Carrum couple to sell dream home

A COUPLE say they have been forced to sell their dream seaside home just three years after they bought it because of a huge sky rail bridge planned for Carrum.

Bec Swinton and her partner Iain Collins are selling their Carrum ‘dream home’ because of sky rail. Picture: Wayne Taylor

A YOUNG couple say they have been forced to sell their dream seaside home because of a huge sky rail bridge planned for Carrum.

And Bec Swinton and Iain Collins, who bought their Station St townhouse three years ago, fear the bridge will mean they lose money in the sale.

No sky rail at Cheltenham and Mentone stations, with line to go underground

The State Government’s 900m long bridge — 8m tall at its highest point, with gantries to stretch a further 8m — will directly overlook the couple’s home.

“I can’t think of anything worse than dividing Carrum with a big, concrete structure like sky sail,” Ms Swinton said.
“What happens if they run out of money and can’t make it look as pretty as the pictures?”

Ms Swinton said her and Mr Collins had been considering selling for six months and planned to put the house on the market later this year.

“We don’t want to leave the area, we love it so much, but it looks like sky rail is going to go ahead,” she said.

Selling to developers is not an option because their house is on subdivided land, so the couple fear they may end up selling the house — on the market for $522,500 in 2014 — at a loss.

With sky rail works just six months away, other homeowners in the bayside suburb have been expressing fears about falling house prices too.

Real estate agent Adam Miller, from Hockingstuart Chelsea, said uncertainty about property prices was common.

“Their concerns are if there’s a large structure right there, would it have an impact on the saleability of their home and what impact would it have on their lives?” Mr Miller said.

The agent said buyer reluctance was also a possibility because of uncertainty about what the new rail bridge and the land beneath would look like.

“Station St is prime in terms of location and amenities,” Mr Miller said.

“If we knew there was an underground solution with beautiful walkways, the impact would most likely be positive and more people would likely buy there.”

Carrum’s median house price has risen from $688,500 in August 2016 to $775,750 in June 2017. Units rose from $517,500 to $555,000 in the same period.

Ray White Chelsea director John Shore said areas such as Carrum and Seaford had probably been undervalued for the past few years and he didn’t think prices would drop as a result of sky rail.

“People are discovering Carrum has a beach and it is magnificent; it’s got Patterson River, which is also magnificent; and the lifestyle there is great,” Mr Shore said.

But he said uncertainty about the duration and scale of the level crossing removal work could affect potential buyers.

The State Government has now short-listed the tenders for some level crossing removals along the Frankston line.

The contract for the first package of work in Carrum and Seaford should be awarded this December and construction will start early next year.

However, anti-sky rail protesters are continuing their ‘rail under road’ campaign and have planned a public rally at the Seaford Community Centre from 10am-12noon on July 23.