MEMBER for Western Victoria Simon Ramsay has called for the state’s roads minister to intervene in a disagreement over planning for the Horsham truck bypass.
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VicRoads have moved ahead with option D, but Horsham Rural City Council has not endorsed any options for the bypass.
On Tuesday, Liberal member Simon Ramsay called on the Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan to intervene.
"The much-needed Western Highway bypass of Horsham has been subject to a lot of planning, consultation and debate within Horsham for many years,” Mr Ramsay said.
"That's why it beggars belief that a final decision was made by VicRoads during the Council recess period last year when council elections were being held.
"The council was given an undertaking that no decision would be made until the new Horsham Rural City Council was elected.”
VicRoads sent a planning amendment for the bypass to Planning Minister Richard Wynne for approval in November.
At the time, Horsham Rural City had no standing councillors due to a municipal government election.
Mr Ramsay said the decision to move forward with option D should be reversed,
"It also fails with respect to the preservation of the aerodrome precinct and the impact on farmland," Mr Ramsay said.
"This is an extraordinary decision by VicRoads.
"The Roads Minister must intervene in the decision made by VicRoads which quite clearly neither the council nor the community support."
Last week Councillor and stakeholder group chairman David Grimble criticised VicRoads for pushing ahead with the proposed bypass.
Cr Grimble said the net community benefit of option D had not been demonstrated.
“When the project objective came out for the Horsham Bypass, it was around removing the trucks out of the city, improving safety, improving freight efficiency and linking to freight sites,” he said.
“Because Horsham has a number of highways, a bypass wouldn’t address all the key objectives.
“We need an integrated transport solution. Option D doesn’t address transport, freight, trucks and cars from the west and going down south.”
Horsham council has yet to resolve issues between the Horsham Aerodrome’s masterplan and the proposed bypass.
Mr Donnellan’s office has been contacted for comment.