MILDURA councillor Mark Eckel has put the brakes on a push to open up Langtree Mall to one-way traffic over concerns it could lead to a $3 million budget blowout for the council.
Cr Eckel said he had been told by construction experts that the road base under the mall’s pavers would need a “substantial” upgrade to cater for permanent traffic.
“It’s OK now for events like Show and Shine at Easter, but I’m told that it would need substantial reinforcement – at a cost of about $3 million – to open the mall up to traffic on a full-time basis,” the former mayor said.
“Quite frankly, the budget is not looking good.
“And any upgrade to the mall now would create extra line items, and there are still $285,000 in projects we have put forward to the capital works program relating to the CBD.”
His comments come after former Mildura City Heart chairman Ryan Hammerton released a blueprint late last year to open up the mall with a one-way traffic lane flowing from Eighth to Ninth streets and 43 parking spaces.
Mr Hammerton, along with Cr Glenn Milne, claimed the current road infrastructure under the mall’s pavers would need a minimal upgrade.
Mr Hammerton, a jeweller, said ratepayers could be spared a large chunk of the upgrade cost because there were “funding options coming down from federal programs” to cover it.
“We need to act quickly if we want to avoid using rates,” he said.
He also said he would also “love to see Macca’s reappear” in the mall.
However, Cr Eckel said he had “never seen Langtree Mall looking so good”.
“We have had community discontent over the years about the trees not growing … and now they have a great canopy, we are looking at removing them,” he said.
Cr Eckel said the council’s “clear long-term direction” was to connect the CBD with the riverfront and create development from Eighth to Seventh streets.
“I believe it needs to be a holistic approach and the mall is only a component part,” he said.
