Wyndham Council scraps $80m plan to seize land for new road

Wyndham council spent a decade trying to take land from residents to make way for a road, putting their “livelihoods and mental health” at risk.

Residents in Melbourne west have “dead, buried and cremated” a decade-long fight to stop council from taking its land to build a service road.

At the City of Wyndham’s ordinary council meeting on Monday night, councillors voted unanimously to abandon the almost $80 million plan, citing cost and fierce community opposition.

Council proposed to take 12m of frontage from 97 properties on Tarneit and Sayers roads in Hoppers Crossing to make way for a new road to ease congestion.

“It has caused those residents mental health issues and many other disruptive issues to their lives,” Cr Heather Marcus said.

“I never want to see any of our residents go through what these 97 properties have gone through in the past decade.”

A proposal to develop the busy roads, which sees 15,000 vehicles travel on them daily, came before council in 2012 following concerns about congestion about road safety.

The plan was expected to cost almost $80 million, including $53 million in compensation for affected residents.

But residents were fiercely opposed to the development, with more than 100 submissions arguing the impact to their properties‘ driveways and frontage would outweigh the benefit.

Cr Josh Gilligan said the decision to scrap the plan would mean “any decision-maker would be frightened to engage in this process ever again”.

He apologised to residents on behalf of the council, adding the significant development along Sayers Road would require “extensive” community dialogue to address planning issues.