Pascoe Vale South tram terminus to go ahead after VCAT ruling

An attempt to move a tram terminus away from businesses in Pascoe Vale South has been denied. Shop owners fear they will be hard hit once construction starts.

Businesses owners and residents protested against the terminus in July 2018.

A last-ditch attempt to move a tram terminus away from a shopping strip in Pascoe Vale South has failed, leaving businesses unsure when construction will start.

Moreland Council refused to support the plans by Public Transport Victoria to build the accessible stop and terminus on Melville Rd and instead suggested it be moved across Bell St to Turner St.

But a VCAT appeal by PTV upheld the terminus’ location.

The stop on Melville Rd will be replaced by an accessible stop.

The move to Turner St would have brought it closer to a connecting bus and would make a future extension of Route 58 easier, according to the council’s acting director of city futures Phillip Priest.

“The extension has been identified in longer-term transport planning for many years and would provide an important opportunity to establish the beginning of an eventful northern extension of the Route 58 tram service,” he said.

A community campaign began in June last year to block the terminus, with businesses fearing parking changes would scare customers away.

Plans released by PTV last year showed trees and nature strips replaced by indented parking, which angered residents.

A community campaign against the terminus began last year

Those plans also showed changes to carparking on Melville Rd, including introducing a weekday clearway on the western side of the street from 8am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm, in front of businesses.

One business owner told the Leader they would consider shutting while construction took place and feared customers would take their business elsewhere if parking was unavailable during peak times.

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Melville Rd resident Emma Spano attended the appeal and said the community was left in the dark about the plans and construction timelines.

But PTV spokesman Tim Clare said the stop was still in the planning stage.

“We’ll let community members know in advance of any works commencing,” he said.

“Upgrading the tram stop will make it easier for people of all abilities to get on board trams on Melville Rd.”