By Karen Poh
BUREAUCRATIC red tape has left Hillside resident Shane Milverton bewildered by the parking situation at Watergardens Railway Station.
The station car park situated on Sydenham Rd was closed on 21 August last year to make way for a new 450 space car park with a new stormwater drainage system, additional street lighting, and an upgraded footpath between Sydenham Rd and Silverdene Avenue.
Media statements released by Metlink and Brimbank City Council last August said construction works would finish by May this year, but the site still remains closed.
A frustrated Mr Milverton notified Star last week when the indicators of his Holden Statesman were “ripped out” while parked at the temporary Watergardens railway station car park north of the station next to the Watergardens shopping centre.
Concerned about security at the temporary car park, Mr Milverton said he notified the Connex Office at Watergardens.
“I enquired about the new car park and the officer informed me that it was due to open on 6 July but he wasn’t confident,” Mr Milverton said.
“[My wife] Sue contacted the Customer Service Officer from Brimbank Shire to enquire about when the car park will be open and she said that they were waiting for the Department of Infrastructure to ‘sign off legal work’,” he said.
When Star contacted Connex, Brimbank City Council, the Department of Infrastructure (DOI) and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), none of the authorities could give any definitive answers as to when the new car park would be open, and what was causing the delay, except that the car park was a former quarry site which needed remediation and rehabilitation.
But a spokeswoman from EPA said environmental safety was a priority and they were working with the DOI and Brimbank City Council “to ensure the health and safety of the community.”
"EPA is directing remediation at the site through a clean up notice issued to Brimbank City Council as the occupier of the site," she said.
"The clean up notice required a statutory evironmental audit and development of a remediation and rehabilitation strategy including a long term groundwater monitering program."
Both the audit and remediation activities are underway, and a final assessment of the site would be required before arrangements can be finalised for the car park to be used, she said.
