PERSISTENCE PAYS
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur today welcomed the news that residents of Whitcombes Road, Drysdale, have fought off the threat to rename their road.
The proposal to rename the road would have seen the link with the historic Whitcombe Family lost, following works on the Drysdale bypass which would have minimally altered the current course of Whitcombes Road.
“This is a victory for people power. The residents of Whitcombes Road took on the bureaucracy and won. This proposal made no sense at all. It had no regard for history, damaged residents’ sense of community, and would have cost a fortune – and all for no good reason. Residents and local businesses were united in their opposition, and rightly so.”
“As soon as I was approached, I was convinced something had to be done. I convened a public meeting, raised the issue with the Minister, and worked with the Mayor to understand the options, and ensure every conceivable effort was made to avoid this absurd outcome. Having seen the proposed changes to the road layout for myself, it was clear that the regulations requiring a change of name were nonsense. There was barely any change to the road, and certainly no argument that it could cause confusion. A name change would have cost a fortune, achieved nothing, and alienated the local community.
“It’s a tribute to the persistence of local residents that they continued to fight even when the odds were stacked against them. Bureaucratic rules requiring any road truncated, however slightly, to be renamed were said to be an unmoveable obstacle. This decision is a victory for them, and for common-sense.”
“Ambulance Victoria, Major Road Projects Victoria and Geographic Names Victoria now all accept that there is no need to change this historic name, but the community deserves the credit for forcing them to think again.
“I would also like to congratulate Mayor Stephanie Asher and the City of Greater Geelong, who worked with residents to overcome this obstacle. I was always convinced this proposal had to be defeated, however inflexible the legislation was said to be. It is a lesson that individuals and communities can take on senseless regulations and inflexible bureaucracy and win.”
13 March 2020