A COMMUNITY again thrown into turmoil and uncertainty came out swinging as large numbers of Berry residents turned out for a public meeting on Wednesday night.
Called by Roads and Maritime Services to update residents on the latest developments in plans for a Berry bypass, the meeting showed renewed divisions in the town as a result of a southern bypass route being put back on the table about 18 months after a northern route was confirmed as the preferred option.
Many at the meeting were upset because an issue they thought was resolved had been reopened simply because experienced civil engineer Bruce Ramsay wanted to take another look at a possible southern route for the bypass and suggested there were major savings to be made.
Russell Baldwin summed up those sentiments when he asked, “Why should anyone in this room believe anything anyone has said?”
An advocate for proper process in planning, Mr Baldwin earned applause when he said the issue of a bypass seemed to have been settled, and for a long time RMS sent out information indicating no other route option would be considered as the community helped fine-tune details of the preferred route.
RMS general manager of infrastructure and communication, Fiona Court, said the organisation had an obligation to consider all submissions made.
“The days of simply ignoring submissions are long gone,” she explained.
Berry bypass project manager Steven Zhivanovich said the fact an alternative was pointed out by Mr Ramsay also resulted in it being taken seriously.
“When Bruce identifies an option then we take note,” he said.
Mr Zhivanovich said the situation now was different to when a range of route options were subjected to a desk analysis several years ago and routes south of Berry were ruled out because of costs and environmental concerns.
Some of those changes centred on improved technology for dealing with issues including acid sulphate soils, Mr Zhivanovich said.
While concerns about process and renewed uncertainty drew applause, there was also applause for people arguing for the southern route.
After being questioned about possible conflicts of interest, Mr Ramsay said he lived at Beaumont and drew up the route plans simply because he loved Berry.
“I think it’s a town that should be saved,” he said.
While much of the discussion during the evening centred on potential savings, which were still to be tested by RMS staff drilling wells and taking soil samples in flood plains south and east of Berry, Philip Thorniley said other factors needed to be considered.
“What are the best interests of the people of Berry?” he asked.
“We need to think bigger than what is potentially a saving of 10 per cent of the project costs, if the risk is destroying the amenity of our town,” Mr Thorniley said.
However Ms Court said costs would be crucial to the final decision made by governments, as the roads budget was under increasing pressure due to continued problems with roads caused by flooding in much of the state.
“I believe the NSW government will look very hard at every project in terms of cost,” she said.
Mr Zhivanovich said only if costs were comparable would other factors come into play in the decision-making process.
Prominent farmer Bob McIntosh said the region’s farming community and agricultural links needed to be a key factor in the decision.
“My real concern is that there is no suggestion of addressing strategic agricultural land and its value to Berry in your process,” he said.
“You ignore this at your own peril.”
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