By Belinda Nolan
HIGHPOINT Shopping Centre has added its two cents to the East-West Link debate, calling for a new rail line in a bid to improve public transport access to its shops.
The retail giant has put in its submission to Eddington’s East-West Link Needs Assessment (EWLNA), sending its report on the final day of the July 15 deadline.
Building on key recommendations of Eddington’s study, the proposed rail would run from the existing Flemington Racecourse line and extend through the shopping centre to the former Defence Department site in Maribyrnong. The proposal would transform Highpoint into a town centre, incorporating retail, residential and community uses.
In addition to this proposal, the report suggests the redevelopment of the defence site as an estate, which could house up to 10,000 people.
The new rail would also service the nearby Edgewater estate which could be expanded to accommodate a further 2,500 residents.
The proposed improvements would cement the links between Highpoint and the planned Footscray Transit City, one of the recommendations of the Eddington report.
Project Director Peter Thomas from GPT Property Management said Highpoint lacked much of the public transport infrastructure enjoyed by other shopping precincts.
“Highpoint has a larger retail presence, higher levels of visitation, is a greater individual employment generator and when the development plans are realised, will be a larger mixed use suburban hub than any of the other centres listed,” the submission said.
“The current and future significance of Highpoint should be recognised.”
On the whole, the submission upheld the recommendations of the Eddington report but expressed concern at the predicted delay in implementing the changes, stating that key projects needed to be delivered as soon as possible to address the West’s transport problems. With the deadline for submissions expired, the government must now begin the onerous task of examining the more than 2000 community responses received to come up with a final plan for meeting Victoria’s East-West transport needs.
Submissions can be viewed at the Department of Transport website www.doi.vic.gov.au
