Commuter Carparks: Future of projects in former Government’s scheme unclear

An outer east council is determined to build three commuter carparks in their municipality, despite no action on site for three years and a change of government.

The Blood Brothers building, built in 1914, and the Celebrations bottle shop are on the site earmarked by Maroondah Council for its new Ringwood multideck carpark. Picture: Kiel Egging.

An outer east council has vowed three desperately needed commuter carparks promised three years ago by the former federal government will be built, despite the Coalition getting booted from office.

But another nearby council has concerns about two carparks promised for its area, and will write to the incoming Labor government to clarify its position.

The $697m commuter carpark fund created by the former Morrison Government included up to 30 projects promised in Victoria.

Nine projects have been scrapped, while construction is yet to begin at the majority of other sites.

The Herald Sun reported in March that only five carparks had been completed in Croydon, Beaconsfield, Epping, Hurstbridge and Craigieburn.

Labor’s incoming infrastructure Minister Catherine King was unable to comment on the future of the program as she would not be sworn in until next week.

The list of sites where construction is yet to begin includes three carparks in Maroondah at Ringwood, Heathmont and Heatherdale railway stations.

The department of infrastructure confirmed Maroondah Council had already received $46.29m to enable scoping and development works to be undertaken across these three sites.

Maroondah councillor Rob Steane said there was no funding shortfalls and works at the three sites were “well advanced in their planning and delivery”.

Cr Steane said construction was yet to begin at the three sites, three years after the projects were announced, as each site required “a different and carefully considered design response”.

“Accordingly, project timelines are then affected by matters including site complexities, community and stakeholder consultation, working with utilities, planning approvals, and tendering processes,” he said.

Design issues have particularly emerged at the Ringwood site, which received an extra $14.7m in federal government funding in the 2021-22 budget, taking its total funding to $29.7m.

The council also had to spend a further $2m purchasing land at the site, which is home to the historic 108-year-old former Blood Brothers building

The carpark is being redesigned after the council decided to keep the building at a meeting on May 11, following a 600-strong petition and ongoing campaigning form local historians.

The council’s director of planning and community, Phil Turner, confirmed the council had “a lot of constraints” with the site, including the heritage building, with the carpark still in the “design” stage.

“Our intention is if we can save the building on the site, we will,” he said.

Cr Steane said the council was committed to the heritage values of the site and was “currently exploring ways to retain, and maintain the prominence of, part of the former Blood Brothers building on the site.”

Ringwood and District Historical Society president Russ Haines said Mr Turner “emphatically” stated at the meeting the building would be saved.

Mr Haines said he felt it was “pretty logical with the impact of Covid for the council to reassess the necessity for these carparks”.

The Ringwood carpark was one of four promised by Deakin federal Liberal MP Michael Sukkar with $60m of federal government funding prior to the 2019 election.

Mr Sukkar did not respond to Leader’s calls and emails for comment.

Former supreme court judge and Heathmont resident David Harper is contesting construction of the Heathmont carpark at VCAT.

Meanwhile, Knox Council is looking to confirm the construction of two promised carparks at Boronia and Ferntree Gully, both of which have yet to begin.

In a statement on its website, the council said the federal funding for the carparks was earmarked for the state government to deliver on state government-owned land.

The council will write to the incoming federal Labor government to seek its intensions on delivering the federal funds, and “highlight the importance of engaging local residents, traders and commuters in the planning and design of any new infrastructure.”