By Olivia Condous
Residents of a Melton suburb are fed up with the lack of facilities and road infrastructure that has left them stranded on an “island” estate that has extremely poor accessibility.
While Thornhill Park estate is located directly next to the Western Highway with no overpass or interchange, so residents are forced to sit in highway traffic to simply go to the supermarket.
Resident Maria Evans said this meant she needed 40 minutes to simply go to the shops.
“You can’t duck down to the shops for five minutes, you need a good 40 minutes,” she said.
“I’m a single mum with two kids, it’s just not that easy to get them in the car to quickly go to the shops.”
The estate was established more than six years ago and the majority of the facilities advertised on promotional maps of the area are still labeled as ‘future’, including the proposed Thornhill Park train station.
“We’re like an island and because there’s nothing on that island and you have to get out, and to get out it’s just very inconvenient,” Ms Evans said.
A petition on Change.org protesting the lack of road infrastructure has amassed more than 1500 signatures.
Thornhill Park estate was developed by Wel.Co, and founding and managing director Andrew Welsh said all information provided to purchasers regarding the estate had been accurate and it was the state government’s responsibility to deliver infrastructure.
“No resident has been or could be misled as the position has been properly explained and residents understand and are aware that the train station and highway interchange are infrastructure projects that can only be delivered by the government,” Mr Welsh said.
“Wel.Co shares residents’ concerns and frustrations at delays in the Victorian government delivering government-led infrastructure.”
A Victorian government spokesperson said investments in major projects were being made as more people moved to Melbourne’s west.
“The brand new Cobblebank train station is a short distance from Thornhill Park estate, and thanks to the Ballarat Line Upgrade there’s hundreds more trains each week, arriving every 20 minutes during the peak.
“We will continue to work closely with the Department of Transport, local councils and the community to ensure the transport network meets the needs of the growing community.”
