Murrumbeena, Carnegie residents fear sky rail will force them bush

FAMILIES living near the proposed sky rail in Melbourne’s southeast fear they may have to pull their children out of school and move to the bush.

The State Government have announced they will buy houses along the railway line that will be affected by the new skyrail project. Jayne Menke from Rosstown Rd, Carnegie. Picture Rebecca Michael.

FAMILIES living near the proposed sky rail in Melbourne’s southeast fear they may have to pull their children out of school and move to the bush.

Murrumbeena and Carnegie locals worry the voluntary acquisition of 140 homes near the proposed elevated rail line could tear communities apart.

Carnegie’s Jayne Menke said she’d fight to save her home of 22 years.

MORE: Anger forces $100m sky rail buyback plan

“I’m absolutely outraged by the way this has been done. We’re not going to stand down and let it happen,” she said.

Jayne Menke outside her Carnegie home. Picture: Rebecca Michael.

Ms Menke and her husband, Fred, haven’t decided whether they’ll sell up or stay and accept the government’s offer of extensive fencing and landscaping works.

“I don’t really know. We were going to live in this house for the next eight years before downsizing. I don’t want to go to another house,” she said.

Murrumbeena resident Kari Palmer didn’t want to move and have to take her three children out of school.

“We don’t want to make a dramatic change to our lives, but we might have to go to the country,” she said.

Ms Palmer has already met several real estate agents to value the family home.

“We decided to do it in case (the government) started talking about compensation so we’d know the value of our house,” she said.

“If we didn’t get the compensation we would go to the country.”

Kari Palmer and her children Edward, Adelaide and Lily don’t want to move. Picture Rebecca Michael.

An artist’s impression of sky rail.

She said the government should offer extra money on top of the already promised market value, stamp duty, and relocation costs.

Maureen and Robert Tampling, who have lived in Murrumbeena for 45 years, worry they won’t find another house in the area.

“I don’t want to go. This house is the right size for us.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on this house ... we don’t want the money to buy another house,” Ms Tampling said.

The Tamplings said the proposed relocation of Hughesdale Station — part of the Poath Road level crossing removal — was also of concern.

Ms Tampling said the track elevation would block sunlight and create more noise.

Another Railway Parade resident, Kylie Shanahan, was also bothered by the station relocation.

How sky rail stacks up.

“We’ll have a station platform and carpark across the road,” she said.

“The railway line doesn’t bother us at all ... there’s just a safety concern for us.”

Ms Shanahan and her husband, and daughter Miriam, 4, moved into the house because it was close to public transport.

“We are really big supporters of public transport and do not oppose level crossing removal. There just needs to be some sort of sympathy for residents,” she said.

The government has announced that residents who do not want to live next to the elevated rail — which is planned for three sections along the Cranbourne-Pakenham line — can apply to have their property bought by the state at market rates.

The sky rail plan involves the removal of nine level crossings by elevating about 8km of railway line.

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