When Keith Lavers and Judy Liuzzo bought a block of land in Meadows Estate in 2008, they knew it was next to a public pathway.
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They believed the natural path was part of the initial subdivision of the estate, north of Gloucester, to give safe and quick access to residents to walk or cycle into town.
In May 2018, they received a letter from MidCoast Council advising “the next stage of the Gloucester to Barrington shared pedestrian/cycle path will commence in the near future,” and “the project will not encroach on private land” or “affect private amenity.”
For the couple, it was the first time they’d heard that the public access pathway adjoining their property was part of a larger project.
The letter stated the path will run along “the council owned corridor through to Dangar Road and reconnect with the alignment of Thunderbolts Way.”
The idea of having a public thoroughfare within metres of their living space raised alarm bells, so Keith started doing some research and came across the River to River (R2R) Pathway group which was proposing a link between the Gloucester and Barrington Rivers. The group’s concept was to not only connect the communities but also boost tourism offering a “pathway separated from the road, profiling unique country and natural environment.”
For Keith, this meant the pathway was undergoing a ‘change of purpose’, and therefore, council should be consulting the community, namely the property owners affected, like them. Keith also discovered that council already owned a corridor on the eastern side of the Thunderbolts Way and began to wonder if that option was considered.
So he contacted council.
The correspondence between Keith and council became the cause of greater confusion and outright frustration. Keith said he spoke with different staff members and councillors, via email and telephone, but the information he received varied depending on who he spoke to.
His issue isn’t with the public walkway for the residents of the subdivision, or even the fact that the standard 2.5 metre pathway council intended to build blows out over four metres in places. His issue is having the pathway running along the length of his home used as a high traffic tourism route.
In June, Keith and Judy received a letter from council stating that, contrary to the first letter, “this stage of the shared pathway will cease when it meets Dangar Road,” that “further investigation will be required,” and the full project “will take up to 10 years.”
But this left Keith even more frustrated as he feels that council isn’t listening to him. He feels his land value has decreased and his private property amenity (by definition - the pleasantness or attractiveness of a place) has been affected.
For Keith and Judy, they don’t want the pathway ripped out, they just want the peace of mind, that the R2R Pathway will run somewhere else and that this pathway will be used of the residents of the subdivision.
A spokesperson for council said at one point in time there was an intent for council to assume ownership of land for a path on the eastern side of the road, and while council owns some of the land, a portion of the land remains in private ownership, so to put the path on that side would require land acquisition.
“We currently have no funds in Gloucester’s section 94 fund to facilitate the purchase of this land.”
In regard to the width of the pathway being greater than 2.5 metres, council said sections of the path may be closer to three metres to reduce the need for mowing, however Keith says he has measured sections of the pathway at 4.5m, plus there are areas where the pathway veers outside of the five metre council strip.
But the question still remains about community consultation and when council is required to or needs to talk to the community before proceeding with a project.
In the case of the Gloucester to Barrington Share Pedestrian/Cycle Path, council said it’s a long standing operational project, part of the former Gloucester Shire Council’s open space management plan.
Recently, the R2R Pathway group was successful in its application for a $500 donation as part of MidCoast Council’s 2018 donations program to help with consultation with the community about which route the path should take; however, the group has since withdrawn its application.
For Keith and Judy, they want to know whether or not the R2R pathway will continue beside their home.