It’s heartening to see that negotiations on the Auburn Street/Sloane Street swap have resumed between Goulburn Mulwaree Council and the RMS.
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It’s been three years already and still no breakthrough on the council’s bid to reclaim the main street, 27 years after the city’s bypass. Let’s hope the latest olive branch from the Authority gains some meaningful ground.
But any suggestion from the RMS that its July 18 letter was misconstrued by the council is disingenuous. The Authority examined two routes for transfer of ownership, as stated in its letter. These were Sloane/Reynolds Street and Deccan/Clinton Street.
“In each case the proposed alternative routes were assessed and found to be in a condition requiring reconstruction in the foreseeable future,” the letter stated.
“RMS has no funding available to complete necessary work on the alternate routes.”
Further, “the cost involved in future works preclude them from being considered for transfer of ownership at this time.”
It seems pretty clear cut to us. But extraordinarily its media department issued a vastly different statement, saying that RMS stood by its in principle road swap agreement with the council and that good faith negotiations were continuing.
Is it a case of one arm not knowing what the other is doing? We can dismiss it as being of little consequence now but it does the Authority little credit.
The council should not have been placed in the position where it saw little solution other than to lobby the Roads Minister.
With discussions apparently back on track, the RMS should consider the inherent contradiction of classifying Goldsmith Street as a state road, given its heavy vehicle use, but not Sloane Street.
As we’ve stated in this space before, it’s way past time that this city had greater control over Auburn Street’s appearance, without unnecessary interference. We hope talks stay on an even keel and yield results, including Goulburn Mulwaree’s ability to undertake State road maintenance on its own patch.
While general manager Warwick Bennett says the road contract is not about the money, the work is lucrative for neighbouring councils – Upper Lachlan and Queanbeyan Palerang Shires.
It’s only right now that Goulburn Mulwaree be also offered the chance to vie for this work.
