EastLink shade leads to barrier rethink

By Shaun Inguanzo
Last week Star revealed residents of Illawara Crescent in Dandenong North had lodged a petition with Greater Dandenong Council to have six-metre-high sound barriers reduced.
The residents’ properties back on to the EastLink project, which lies about 20 metres downhill, and the barriers will be only metres from their back fences.
While Illawarra Crescent residents told the council they feared not seeing a sunrise, this week two residents from the other side of the same section of EastLink, in Rawdon Hill Drive, said they were worried about losing their sunset.
Vin and Amy Creely have lived in Rawdon Hill Drive for 32 years and this week said they were disappointed with news that the average sound barrier height would be six metres, with the barrier up to eight metres in some parts.
Mr Creely said the couple had “had the threat of the high fence but knew nothing about it”.
“Well it has got us more worried than ever,” Mr Creely said.
“We were hoping it would be about three metres.”
The Creelys said the tall barriers would reduce their quality of lifestyle.
Mrs Creely showed Star her back garden, which she said could die off if the sound barrier blocked sunlight from reaching it.
Thiess John Holland spokesman Anthony Havers said a computer model run by the company showed the barriers met building standards for overshadowing properties.
But he said the company was meeting Illawarra Crescent residents and would consider lowering the height.
“Any changes to noise walls would need to comply with a number of very specific project requirements and standards,” he said.