By Afraa Kori
For many years, local communities have voiced concerns about the state of the “ugly temporary fence” along the waterway near the Princes Freeway sound barrier.
Officer resident James became concerned in 2023, when he noticed a lack of progress on the temporary fencing surrounding the local waterway.
“It was odd because it was being maintained for a period of time but then it just stopped but the fence remained up and there was no maintenance around any more which caused a lot of the long weeds and grasses,” he said.
“My overall interactions with the developer and Melbourne Water was frustrating because there was a lot of we’re looking into this and not a lot of actually doing anything about it. There was also a lot of passing the buck to one another and no one taking responsibility for the mess.”
His main concern during this period wasn’t just the presence of the temporary fence, but the lack of maintenance and the growing amount of rubbish polluting the river.
“It was from people‘s bins from rradies dumping rubbish and other people dumping rubbish,” he said.
“The amount of rubbish that’s now probably in our sewers and in our in that waterway is very very sickening.
“It’s affected my daily life because I walk down that pathway or ride my bike down there every single day with my family and we have to look at this disgusting fence and all these weeds and long grasses that have popped up behind it. Not to mention the amount of rubbish that shouldn’t have been dumped in there as well. It’s hard to take pride in your neighbourhood when that’s the state of it.”
With no to little action taken, James sent multiple emails to Cardinia Shire Council in an effort to get the area cleaned up, as the rubbish stretched along the entire waterway, extending for roughly a kilometre.
While this area is not “under council’s jurisdiction”, Cr Samantha-Jane Potter understands its significance to the community and followed up by advocating for a clean-up.
“What could be a lovely parkway was blocked by a temporary fence, and it had fallen into disrepair in some areas and become an eyesore, and I empathise how frustrating that has been,” she shared on social media.
As part of local community works along the waterway approaching Officer South Road, Officer South, Melbourne Water set up temporary fencing to ensure safety during landscaping works and the installation of permanent fencing around the waterway and the construction zone.
The permanent fencing will ensure the area is not compromised and the waterway remains safe. Once complete, the temporary fencing will be removed, with ongoing maintenance works managed by the Cardinia Shire Council and Melbourne Water.
“The Cardinia Shire Council, Melbourne Water, and the developer agreed on the location and design of the permanent fencing installation,” Melbourne Water spokesperson said.
“Melbourne Water is now collaborating with the developer to finalise the landscaping works. Once the landscaping plan is approved, work will begin on the permanent fencing and the landscaping.
“Melbourne Water and the developer are committed to starting these works as soon as possible.”
Cr Potter announced that the cleanup and planting began last week, which is great news for the community.
“The full scope of works, including the new fencing, is expected within about two months,” she shared on social media.
“Also, once this is done, Melbourne Water will construct a farm-style fence along the shared path for safety.
“I know many residents have been eager for progress, and I look forward to seeing this space improved for our local community and enjoying a walk along the picturesque water way too.”
James acknowledged that removing the temporary fence will benefit the community, however he expressed concern about the ongoing rubbish left on the streets, the lack of recycling education, and overflowing bins.
“This issue is bigger than just a temporary fence. There’s an issue around sustainability and people having too much waste.”
