Families forced to sell their homes for North East Link struggling to relocate

Business owners who sold their properties to make way for the North East Link may now have to cough up tens of thousands of dollars.

Families and business owners forced to sell their properties to make way for the $15.8 billion North East Link say the past three years has been “mental torture”.

Dozens of businesses in Bulleen are still unable to move locally and say they now feel forgotten, and many are preparing to pay the government rent worth tens of thousands of dollars a year to stay in their acquired premises until eviction deadlines next year.

The North East Link Authority has now enlisted a specialist company to help owners move — which some say “is about three years too late”.

The Herald Sun can also reveal the North East Link Authority is considering extending rent-free periods for companies that have forcibly sold land but are struggling to find alternative premises.

More than three years after 96 business and 36 home owners in Bulleen found they were in the path of the mega toll road, most acquisition notices have been sent and some owners are now bought out.

Psychological counselling has been offered to those affected by the massive project, which will connect the Eastern Freeway to the M80 in Greensborough by 2027

Nicole Ma and Joe Lim have struggled to relocate in the area. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Bulleen business owners recently met the Herald Sun to tell their stories, saying they were not against the road project but the process to buy them out had been unfair and they were losing hope.

Managing director at Campi’s Building Group, Simon Campi, said that if properties had been acquired but people hadn’t been moved, it would be a slap in the face to pay commercial rent rates to the government. “Why can’t we sit here on a peppercorn rent while we get our lives sorted?” he said. “We are all in no man’s land.”

Lani and John Donohue, who run a car repair shop, said people had “suffered through the last three years” and were now “literally broken from this exhaustive process”.

North East Link Authority chief executive Duncan Elliott said the project team was trying to ensure all businesses remained open but there could be some cases where moving was not possible.

He said some of those struggling to find alternative sites may get further rent deferrals on top of the three months already provided.

“Given the circumstances here, we are looking at each individual case on its own merit and there are maybe some instances where that would be extended,” Mr Elliott said.

Bulleen business owners protest in Greenaway street are furious at the treatment they have received. Picture: David Caird

Homeowners on acquired land have also struggled to move to nearby areas, and Yallambie residents Joe and Nicole Lim were forced to go further north despite their children attending local schools.

“It’s more the mental torture, three years to wait, what do we do? Our kids are starting high school,” Mr Lim said.

Properties acquired for the $15.8bn project, which is in the middle of early works but hasn’t had major contracts sealed yet, must be vacated by June next year.

The project will generate 10,000 jobs during construction, according to the Andrews government, and more than 600 companies have registering interest in helping to build the road. But the issue of how to move many of the businesses is causing heartache.

Cam Giardina, from Cam’s Greenaway Auto Repairs, said those in the acquisitions zone were told no one would be worse off.

“It was a false hope — they told everyone they would be relocated,” he said.

An artist's impression of the tollway and Bulleen Park And Ride. Picture: North East Link Authority.

Other business owners furious about the process said $10,000 had been provided for legal fees, when their costs were mounting every month.

Mr Elliott said there was no formal cap on recompensing legal fees but the authority didn’t want to see “a lawyers’ picnic” or a free-for-all on rent discounts.

“We are dealing with taxpayer’s money so we don’t want to be in a situation where we are double paying (rent), but we absolutely acknowledge the difficult circumstances,” he said.

Property lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Jyoti Rao, said the issue of timing when it comes to notices of acquisition was always difficult.

“It’s forced (acquisition) so therefore there’s a sense of unfairness there already.”

She said government could offer other forms of assistance, such as helping families find schools for children, and counselling support.

A LONG AND DUSTY ROAD TO A NEW LIFE

Soon after Yallambie resident Joe Lim became an Australian citizen in 2017, there was a knock at his door.

The Singapore-born father of three and his wife Nicole were told their property was likely to be acquired by the government so that a new toll road could be built.

“The mayor had said at the (citizenship) ceremony ‘welcome to the free country’ and then at the end of the month someone came to my house and said we are going to take your home,” Mr Lim said.

More than three years later, Mr Lim and his wife Nicole are finally about to move, but have had to move further away — to Bundoora.

Mr Lim said he understood the project had merits, but the acquisition process had been a nightmare.

The couple have hired law company Slater & Gordon to help with the process, which they had hoped would be wrapped up last year.

Nicole Ma and Joe Lim say the acquisition process had been a nightmare. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Ms Lim said the family had wanted to stay in the area but property prices were too high.

“We have three boys, they need space and the trampoline and to run around. We need land and if you need land in this area it’s quite impossible.”

Ms Lim said it had taken almost three years for action and even then it was a slow-moving process.

“We said ‘why don’t we start now?’ during the lockdown last year and get things going, we can look for a house, and then things finally started moving.

“If you don’t push them, they don’t do anything.”

The couple said the noise and dust from early works in the area were hard to handle at times.

“We didn’t hang our clothes out for a month, because it was so dusty,” Ms Lim said.

“There was dust control but it didn’t really work.

“Can you deal with the dust and noise for years?

“Even a few weeks of night work, I got mad.”