No man’s land

By Melissa Grant
A CONCERNED Pakenham resident is urging authorities to clean-up land on McGregor Road before somebody gets hurt.
Margaret Gordon says dumped rubbish and shopping trolleys around the site near Wakenshaw Crescent, along with a ditch covered with pieces of tin, is hazardous for locals who walked through the parcel of land.
Although part of the wetland has been fenced off, Ms Gordon said the site was still too dangerous for the many residents who used it as a short-cut to nearby schools and shops.
“It’s not because people are too lazy to walk another way it’s because it’s safer to cross there,” she said.
Ms Gordon said she used to walk through the parcel of land every two days but was recently forced to change her route.
“I used to walk up there every two days because I have to walk the dog,” she said.
“I have stopped walking there because it’s become too risky.”
Ms Gordon said she was particularly concerned that children had started using the short-cut again after they returned to school on Monday.
She hoped that Melbourne Water, which owns the parcel of land, could make the site safer without closing it off.
“I’m concerned about walking through there but we don’t want it closed off because it’s safe to cross there when a train comes,” Ms Gordon said.
“It could be easily fixed.”
Melbourne Water spokesman Andrew McGinnes said dumped rubbish and shopping trolleys would be a thing of the past when a new fence was installed at the site.
“The fence around a stormwater retarding basin on the corner of McGregor Road and Wakenshaw Crescent has been repeatedly damaged by vandals and, as a result, we understand some rubbish has wound up there,” he said.
“The fence has been fixed several times but to stop this happening again plans for a stronger fence are underway.
“Work on erecting this fence is expected to start in a matter of weeks.”