By VANESSA CHIRCOP
VicTrack is planning improvements to the park adjacent to the Williamstown North train station which involves relocating a children’s playground and adding a car park.
The development of an aged care facility at the site has prompted the plans, but could residents be losing open space in the process?
The park has existed by the station since the mid 1800s when the line and the station were first opened.
Councillors have raised concerns for the significant and mature trees at the park.
Director Planning and Environment, Peter Gaschk told the council some trees may be affected by the plans but would be replaced with new trees.
Cr Peter Hemphill questioned whether trees on the Hobsons Bay Tree Register would be at risk.
“A 100-year-old tree, for example and replacing it with a brand new one – there might be some concern about that,” he said.
Cr Angela Altair raised concerns about the proposed relocation of the children’s playground.
“When you think about it, (a playground) right next to a car park is probably not the ideal spot,” she said.
Parking at Hobsons Bay train stations has been an issue for some time and VicTrack’s proposal could possibly alleviate part of this.
Despite this, Cr Altair said a close eye would need to be kept on the development describing the area as a “dog’s breakfast”.
“It really is quite a chaotic… no one has sat down and tried to work out a systematic way to get all those different modes of transport happening in an efficient way.”
