Two councils reach settlement with government over North East Link legal action
A pair of Melbourne councils fighting against the North East Link have pulled out of their Supreme Court bid, meaning three of the four councils who launched the legal action have now settled.
Victoria
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A pair of Melbourne councils fighting against the North East Link have pulled out of their Supreme Court bid, with just Banyule Council left in the legal battle over the $15.8 billion project.
The City of Boroondara and Whitehorse City Council on Thursday both withdrew from the judicial review process after mediation with the state government.
The decision means three of the four councils who launched the legal action against the mega-project have now settled, with Manningham Council reaching a deal earlier in July.
The councils started the Supreme Court bid over concerns about how the approval process for the North East Link was conducted.
But three have now settled after securing agreements from the Andrews Government and the North East Link Project.
This includes protection for the Freeway Golf Course as an 18-hole venue, the transfer of 1.9ha of land to the council and funding support for other smaller projects.
The deal means the Boroondara Tennis Centre will still have to be moved, with the council to be compensated and work now underway to find a new site.
The tennis centre will remain open until at least the end of 2022.
City of Boroondara Mayor Cynthia Watson said the council had also secured an agreement to consult with the project’s successful tenderers about the best design for their area.
“Council now has a seat at the table when the successful tenderer submits their final design for review and adoption,” she said.
“We can have direct and clear conversations with the tenderers to minimise and reduce the impact on our land, our amenity and the assets our community enjoy”.
“The site of the former VicRoads depot will be valued open space for the Boroondara community to enjoy.”
“We had to make a difficult decision between keeping an 18-hole competition standard public golf course or keeping a regional tennis centre used by both residents in Boroondara and other municipalities.
“As our population grows, the retention of open space is important.”
Whitehorse City Council secured upgrades to Elgar Park, playgrounds near the Eastern Freeway and support a raft of other smaller projects within their boundaries.
Mayor Sharon Ellis said the council was pleased with the outcome for residents.
“We will remain engaged in the process, and will continue to advocate for the interests of our community,” she said.
Banyule City Council Mayor Alison Champion said discussions with the Victorian Government were ongoing, wiith mediation still underway.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said:
“We’ve worked with local councils every step of the way and we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Manningham, Whitehorse and Boroondara City Council as we deliver North East Link.”
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