Hume City Council will progress construction of a road link in Sunbury following a decision by councillors at its meeting this week.
Works on Yirrangan Road, an important future connection between Jacksons Hill, the new Sunbury South residential area, and the Calder Freeway, were reviewed following the discovery of significant quantity of indigenous artifacts at the proposed site.
As a result, Council investigated several alternate options to this route, however, these options would either not accommodate future volumes of traffic or would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to deliver.
In line with requirements of heritage protection legislation and Council’s own commitment to respect and maintain the culture of the site’s traditional owners, Council will now seek a Cultural Heritage Management Plan, with the aim of undertaking works to fully salvage and relocate artifacts before aiming to commence works at the southern end of the road from 2024.
In endorsing the decision, Council acknowledged that the road link was long awaited by the existing Jacksons Hill community and new residential Sunbury South area and would continue to update residents on its progress.
Quotes attributable to Mayor of Hume City, Councillor Carly Moore:
“We know that our community has been waiting for this road link and we hear their concerns that it will not be completed in line with initial timelines.
“Unfortunately, these are circumstances that could not have been predicted until the first shovel hit the ground.
“Last night’s decision is truly a win-win for all. We can now move forward and both honour and protect thousands of years of indigenous history, while also progressing construction of Yirrangan Road.”
