Vol. 17 No. 7
FREE PUBLICATION
Mad as a hatter
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Ryan Morrow, aka the Mad Hatter, and Julia Gasparini, the White Rabbit, slip into their roles in preparation for Horsham College’s musical production and adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy novel Alice in Wonderland. The production, directed by Larissa Ridell, will be at Horsham’s Wesley Performing Arts Centre next week. Story, more pictures see page 6. Picture: EMILY FRIEDRICHSEN
Bypass battle persists By DEAN LAWSON
A
group angry about a Western Highway bypass route for Horsham has vowed to fight the proposal and is confident it will ultimately win the argument. One Horsham Bypass Group chairman Jeff Moore said the group had remained relatively quiet as it worked through a process with authorities but believed it was now time to make a public stand. He said a group priority was to make people aware about how close the bypass would be to Horsham if VicRoads pursued its preferred route.
The group called a public meeting to outline its concerns at Sunnyside Bowling Club last night. Mr Moore said many people affected by the proposed route, which sweeps east and north of Horsham through Riverside on the outskirts of Horsham, felt authorities had ‘gone through the motions’ to simply meet public consultation requirements instead of trying to understand concerns. “The group feels VicRoads had no intentions of ever seriously listening to public or landholder concerns. As soon as they chose their preferred
route, that was it,” he said. “Yet wherever we go and whoever we talk to we get the same question: Why is it going through such an extensive flood plain? Word from Wimmera Catchment Management Authority is that it is the worse possible route of all the potential routes. “And of course it’s going to affect a lot of people. Some, many of them older people hoping to move into rest homes in Horsham, won’t be able to sell their properties.” VicRoads announced last year that it had selected a route known as B2, which left the
Western Highway east of Horsham at Burnt Creek and rejoined the highway at Dahlen, as its preferred option. It was one of three routes it had shortlisted. VicRoads has outlined on its website that it was refining the B2 route to minimise landholder impact and was finalising technical reports.
Politicians Mr Moore said group members had spoken to many politicians who had agreed that VicRoads should continue to consider alternative routes. “We certainly want modified route 2, which leaves the high-
way east of Green Lake, back on the list of options. It is a little bit shorter, doesn’t require traffic to go through Pimpinio, doesn’t dissect three rail crossings and certainly doesn’t take out near the number of houses,” he said. “It is important to understand that the proposed route will go directly through about 11 houses and there is no compensation available for anyone with a house only 100 metres from the bypass. “All along our group has proposed the route go along existing roads and not take out homes.”
Mr Moore said the One Horsham group also wanted Horsham Rural City Council to have a stronger say on what was happening. “The group believes the council has been, publicly at least, very non-committal. The chosen route will have a large impact on Horsham and services such as Horsham aerodrome,” he said. Mr Moore said he expected Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty, Member for Western Victoria David O’Brien and Lowan candidates Emma Kealy and Katrina Rainsford to attend last night’s meeting.
IN THIS ISSUE • College to cap enrolment • Lost in the Bush events • Cricket club’s uncertain future Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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