After a gestation period of two decades, work on upgrading Ferry Road at Kettering finally commenced in early October. Detailed plans had, months earlier, revealed extensive waterfront earthworks. Locals called upon Kingborough Council to capitalise on these plans to accelerate construction of their long-promised foreshore walkway.
A concept drawing showing modest changes to DIER’s plans was submitted to Council. Council would benefit from the economy of scale afforded by the arrival of a battalion of earth-moving equipment. Future disruption would be avoided by doing the works in concert with the Ferry Road construction. Public amenity along a charming stretch of Little Oyster Cove waterfront would be greatly enhanced.
What’s not to love?
No can do says DIER; outside project scope. Odd, given their scope involves complete de-forestation of the subject area, replacement of a verdant bank with a 4-meter high reinforced concrete retaining wall, significant earthworks and construction of a rock wall along at least half the shoreline in question.
Locals rally the Mayor and head off to see David O’Byrne. Sounds like a good idea says the Minister, but money’s tight; we’ll have to see how tenders come in. They come in below budget. Can’t afford it says DIER (having already spent 40% of their $8m allocation on planning and design as opposed to actual construction) without costing the changes.
What about a cut-down version say the locals? Too complicated says DIER, quickly inventing a new set of excuses – can’t have people walking along the foreshore, there would be legal implications. Are you getting the drift?
Now here’s the good bit. Last week contractors Hazell Bros built the rock sea wall as per the original DIER plans. Capable of handling a Katrina-esque storm surge the substantial structure towers 1.5 meters above the high-water line on which it rests.
This is either a) a folly, or b) a sign that the government is taking climate scientists’ warnings of rising sea levels very seriously and has engineered the wall to deal with tides in 2100.
I’m going for folly.
For the cost of a few truckloads of fill the wall could have been aligned per the foreshore walkway concept plan and half the length of footpath delivered. Instead we get nothing. The government describes this as spending public money wisely. I call it myopia; a fantastic opportunity wasted.
Council has been promising a foreshore walkway ever since the vision for a grandiose boardwalk emerged in the mid-90s. We don’t need a boardwalk but even a gravel track would be better than what exists – i.e. nothing!
You can view a short video of how the foreshore walkway currently looks at http://youtu.be/AwxcUwdjc24 .
The residents of Ferry Road are pleased with the new footpath they will get as part of the road upgrade. This is fine for residents but tourists and other visitors will find it as seductive as a solarium in the Sahara. The ferry terminal and ALL visitor car parking spaces are on the other side of the road and the prospect of negotiating the driveways of 25 residential properties would appeal to few.
This is one of those classic examples of local government and state agencies being unable to get their collective acts together. There’s always somebody to whom they can handball the problem.
Prior to the 2010 election the “Fix Ferry Road” campaign saw both major parties falling over themselves to commit $8m to upgrade the road. As the 2014 poll looms we can only wonder which party has the will to fund a foreshore footpath.
Mayor Graham Bury awaits your call.
Graham Bannister is an elder IT geek. Retiring to Kettering in 2008 he soon became active in what was to become a successful Fix Ferry Road campaign. He is the curator of the Kettering Community Association website www.kettering.tas.au
