By Oliver Lees
The community and stakeholders have had their say on the efforts of Macedon Ranges council to protect a historic bridge in Gisborne from development.
This week, Macedon Ranges councillors will vote on whether council should permanently protect Gisborne’s Bunjil Creek Bridge, bluestone channel and historically significant trees located in Howey Reserve.
The efforts to introduce a new heritage overlay come as preparatory works are under way to develop the intersection.
The planned works will see the construction of a new roundabout and crossing over Bunjil Creek, in a bid to improve traffic flow and road safety.
The intersection upgrade will see small sections of the bridge’s bluestone removed, which will then be re-used in the project’s final beautification works.
A heritage assessment of the bridge found that it was constructed in 1874, while the mature trees are dated around 1855.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said the upgrade was necessary to accommodate Gisborne’s growing population.
“This vital upgrade will improve visibility and make it safer for everyone to enter and exit Kilmore Road,” Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas said that every avenue had been explored to minimise the impact on the bridge, but that an analysis had found a widening of the existing structure was necessary to add lanes and shared user paths.
A Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) report also found there were associated flood risks with the existing bluestone bridge and channel.
The development has been subject to a public petition to ‘Save Gisborne’s historic bridge’, which has now accrued more than 600 digital signatures.
Council also received eight public submissions relating to the heritage overlay proposal.
In one submission, a Gisborne resident stated: “We must do whatever we can to save this bridge and preserve the heritage of our town.”
In a written statement, the Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society stated that they believe it would be possible to raise the underside of the bridge, thus improving flood capacity, and therefore keeping the bridge while accommodating the roundabout design.
