FOOTSCRAY residents and the Regional Rail Link Authority are at odds again, this time over a noticeboard removed from a local park.
The public noticeboard was erected on February 9 to tell people about planned changes to Fordham Reserve and local streets, but it was removed within days.
Residents say the board went up with the blessing of the RRLA, a claim the authority disputes.
Adrian Basso said consultation with RRLA during the roll-out of the $5.4 billion project had been so dire that residents arranged for the noticeboard so they could pin up information about changes and list contact numbers so people could seek further details.
“Residents want to be constructive and believe that genuine community engagement leads to better results for everyone,” he said.
“But residents are being kept completely in the dark until after decisions have been made and even then information is very hard, if not impossible, to find in a timely fashion.”
RRLA project spokesman Tim Holmes said there were initial discussions during which the authority indicated it was open to a noticeboard being erected on its Fordham Reserve hoarding.
“However, actual permission was neither granted nor revoked,” he said.
“We are happy to work with residents to find a suitable location for a noticeboard to be installed in Fordham Reserve as this is a great way to share information about the Regional Rail Link project and works undertaken by the Footscray-Deer Park project team.”
