Council firm on BORR stand

The Capel Shire Council has re-affirmed its strong opposition to the route of the Bunbury Outer Ring Road at the southern end cutting through the suburb of Gelorup.

Council last night voted to lobby government for a sensible and much lower cost route, which would see the existing portion of the ring road link up with Bussell highway along the existing Centenary Road reserve.

“The State Government seems hell-bent on riding rough-shod over the people of this area and pushing its highway through the middle of Gelorup, ruining the lives of residents,” Shire President Michael Southwell said.

“Ministers are avoiding us because they don’t want to “own’’ this move to destroy a beautiful and valuable nature corridor and split a community in two, but we have a new member of Cabinet in Don Punch, whose electorate boundaries now take in Gelorup and Dalyellup,” he said.

“It’s time for him to step up and become a voice for people living in our Shire.”

The Capel Shire has resolved to lobby government for a new alignment which would extend the existing middle section of the ring road down Centenary Avenue, past the Bunbury prison and along an existing road corridor to link up with the Bussell highway. This route would be much less expensive to build and not lock up the valuable basalt rock reserves under Main Road’s current preferred route through Gelorup. It also removes the need to bulldoze the beautiful old-growth bushland along the Gelorup corridor, a much-loved community asset.

ENDS