MANY MORE TO COME...
Some people sent messages to this website, you can read a few below.
We invite you to speak up...
I felt saddened & devastated as I drove towards our beloved roundabout on my way to work on Monday, 15th Feb 2021. The violent destruction of mature trees that have probably been home to birds, insects etc & sheltered us from the sun & of course welcomed myself & fellow residents home from work at the end of the day or any journey. When I have been to the city or other concrete destination, for example, like Footscray. When I see our special green gateway, our special roundabout with the cockatoos racing around the roundabout & among the trees, I felt refreshed & relieved to be back among the trees. But now all that life giving beauty has gone. I was dreading it as I neared the roundabout. I was shocked by the devastation, caused in a few hours to the green gateway. No more will I feel refreshed, relieved, & of course entertained by the cockatoos as I reach, home. I will be met by traffic lights & concrete. There will be no welcoming shade from the trees. It became a sterile, lifeless place 8n a matter of hours. That special place will be just a monstrous intersection like any other in Melbourne. All I have is memories. I mourn the loss of this beautiful place. I now dread that empty, lifeless place. It has also made me feel disillusioned by the illusion of democracy. GK
- - - What can l do? Am so upset at the destruction of trees at roundabout. Heartbroken. Can we do anything to stop the further destruction of the lovely trees. Am now think of leaving Eltham after many years as this is just too much to endure. Thankyou for giving me the chance to have a say. Broken hearted. MF
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It is very difficult to see how removal of the trees is defined as "essential work". While thousands of children suffered through further disruption to the new school year, many people's workplaces where shut, all of a sudden this work was urgent enough to carry out during a stage 4 lockdown? And risk the possibility of spreading COVID by the workers as there was little social distancing. (if the risk was high enough to shut down a city, it was high enough to defer non urgent works like this). Or was it specifically timed given the protest HAD to be cancelled on the Saturday and the council saw this as an opportunity to go ahead with cutting the trees before a protest could be held and further attention brought to this issue? Was this even within the rules of stage 4 lockdown? Surely this isn't classified as 'urgent' roadworks? OD
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I'm scared to go to the roundabout and witness the scene of this sheer and unwarranted vandalism. I know this type of destruction is happening every minute somewhere across the globe. It’s all awful. Do they realise the implications of this desecration? Probably not. MT
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Simply disgusting, but look our major parties don't care for the environment anymore and haven't for a long time. As a result i have voted informal Since 2014 in the lower house Federally and State. On climate change in Victoria we have a government that is putting in renewable solar and wind and now hydrogen but at the same time it is cutting down trees which store carbon. So therefore what is its policy on climate change? It does not have one. And offsets what a load of bullshit, Many animals are territorial do they think a Magpie can live in a new area? And besides the trees are seedlings, and due to our increasing hot days will they survive? And how much carbon do they have? This state is seeing neighbourhoods destroyed by the State Government's massive projects, and still we have traffic congestion. Some i agree with but most are just to big and unjsutifed. The excuse for this project is that it is unsafe, well once traffic builds up at Eastern End of Lower Park where the bridge over the Diamond Creek is where their will be two lanes will this be unsafe as well? More congestion and the answer is more roads. Warrandyte bridge thousands spent is still a bloody mess! To finish our members of parliament leave with good incomes and pensions we instead have to endure the mess and destruction of our living standards that they leave us. We don't get the pensions they get. Time their perks were reduced it has gone to far. The previous Labor member for the area cared so much for the suburb that he moved to the Macedon area. Will the current member do the same? MM
- - - Bloody destructive and sad. LR
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This is environmental vandalism! There has been no genuine consultation; only the push-polling of the MRPV preferred solution, based on out of date data used for modelling which they refuse to make available to the community. This mindless bureaucracy touts numbers of interactions with the quality of "consultation". Genuine consultation means reaching common ground on the issues followed by co-development of the solution with the community and experts. The bias is in the name. For them, a more modest solution won't do - it must be a major roads project to justify it as theirs. RC
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The roundabout is a dreadful project. So much money is being spent to destroy the very things that make Eltham and its environs special. It's a lovely gateway to the area with trees. It will look much more industrial - a loss of the very nature we need as COVID has demonstrated. Future generations will wonder why such vandalism was not only permitted but promoted. We will mourn the loss of those trees and the current amenity of the roundabout. JB
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Devastating to see the destruction of our beautiful Eltham Gateway. When I first came to Eltham nearly 20 years ago, I was so captivated by the beautiful trees at the entrance to our suburb, that I decided I wanted to come and live here. So we did. For the past 18 years, driving past all the trees at the round about has always been a source of joy. So very sad to see the trees demolished. AG