Martha Cove residents face $541,000 bill to upgrade public underpass lights
Victoria charges Martha Cove residents $541,000 to upgrade lights in a public underpass.
The 3,000 residents of Martha Cove on the Mornington Peninsula are being charged by the state to upgrade 50 lights. The lights are in an 80-metre public underpass beneath Marina Drive.
The underpass is used daily by motorists accessing the suburb. The underpass was built in 2005 to lower the road beneath the marina entrance.
A dated agreement between the developer, the shire and the department has left residents responsible for this cost. Residents have no control over the project's scope or budget.
Residents maintain boardwalks, underpass lifts and harbour dredging, all open to the public. Martha Cove chairman Neil Pope, a former Victorian Labor minister, called the charge unfair.
He said the department had not provided design documents or explained how it reached the $541,000 figure.
- $541,000
- Upgrade cost
- 50 in 80-metre underpass
- Lights to replace
- 3,000 residents
- Population affected
- 2005
- Underpass built
Why it mattersIt raises questions about who should pay for public infrastructure in private developments and whether residents are bearing unfair costs.
AustraliaVictorian residents in coastal developments could face similar charges under outdated agreements, and the dispute signals broader questions about maintenance liability.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
