Melville Rd tram terminus to go ahead despite business closure fears as street unites to save Bell St Village Precinct

A Pascoe Vale South street has banded together to fight a planned terminus that one business owner is “99 per cent sure” will kill off her business.

Residents and business owners are fuming over a proposed tram terminus on Melville Rd, Pascoe Vale South. Picture: Mark Dadswell

A TRAM terminus will be built in Pascoe Vale South despite community anger, with businesses and property owners not on board with the plan.

Public Transport Victoria will build the terminus on Melville Rd from the intersection of Bell St across a six-day period in October.

The terminus will provide space for two trams to pass each other and access for disabled passengers. However, community concerns have been raised about parking and safety.

Plans show nature strips removed and replaced by indented parking spaces as well as a clearway on Melville Rd between 8am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm on weekdays to ease congestion.

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Ozzie. O Barbershop owner Suzie Elasmar said she was “99 per cent sure” she would lose her business if the terminus went ahead.

“We rely on customers who are driving past and think they may as well stop in and after 4pm is our busiest time. No one is going to park and walk over from blocks away,” she said.

Mancini Hair Salon manager Nick Mancini, who hosted community meetings that drew more than 50 people, said his 51-year-old business was also under threat and that PTV had tried “divide and conquer” tactics.

“They tried to break people up and have individual meetings and they wouldn’t show us the plans beforehand,” he said.

“Everybody is happy for the stop to go ahead but they just haven’t asked for opinions in how it will affect us.”

Phillipa Ramoni from Pascoe Vale Soccer Store said she had not received letters and was “totally unaware” of what was happening.

Signs in front yards of homes and front windows of businesses show a tombstone and read “RIP Melville Rd and Bell St Village Precinct”. A petition has appeared online and in stores to halt the project.

Signs read “RIP Melville Rd”. Picture: Mark Dadswell

A parking survey undertaken by PTV showed there were “398 parking spaces within a five-minute walk” of the site.

But it lists 45-minute customer parking in McDonald’s and Piedimonte’s IGA Supermarket among the options.

PTV spokesman Tim Clare said residents and traders had been encouraged throughout the process to make contact with PTV with questions or concerns they might have.

But resident Tim Beaumont said he has sent multiple requests for individual concerns to be addressed and didn’t receive specific responses. He said he was told entrance to his home via his driveway would be possible “for the average car” but when he asked, he wasn’t given specifics on what that constituted.

“I’d like to think a community’s voice is important in a project like this but we just haven’t been listened to,” Mr Beaumont said.

Businesses have come together to protest the incoming terminus. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Moreland councillor Oscar Yildiz said the plan was baffling and that the money would be better spent extending the tram line.

Mr Clare said a drop-in session would be held on July 12 to receive more feedback before scheduled work began on October 13.

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