By Didem Brennan – owner of Patara Life
More than 1,000 people gathered in the heart of Yarraville on Sunday 20 September, calling on the State Government to stop and review plans to permanently close Anderson Street as part of the level crossing removal project.
The scale of the Save Yarraville Village rally was difficult to ignore. Residents, traders and families filled the Village with a message that has become increasingly clear: make the level crossing safer, but don’t sacrifice Yarraville’s connectivity, accessibility and village character in the process.
There is broad agreement that the Anderson Street level crossing needs to be made safer. What the community questions is whether permanently closing Yarraville’s main street is the best solution — and whether alternatives have been adequately explored.
One alternative gaining significant support is reinstating the former ramp beneath the railway station, filled in around 30 years ago. Speakers on Sunday called for this option to be properly investigated before an irreversible decision is made.
Maribyrnong Deputy Mayor Samantha Meredith reiterated Council’s strong backing for the community’s campaign and its call for the Government to stop, review and listen.
“The community has spoken. We know what they want,” she told the crowd.
Independent candidate Jess Marsh raised concerns about accessibility, integrity and transparency, arguing that the community should not simply be annexed to another major project (the Spotswood LXRP).
She also questioned why local communities have again found themselves commissioning their own impact analysis rather than being provided with comprehensive evidence by the government.
The West Party candidate for Footscray, Minh Quan Nguyen, also spoke in support of investigating the reopening of the former ramp beneath Yarraville Station.
Liberal candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region Roshena Campbell praised Yarraville as an engaged and active community and announced that a Jess Wilson-led Liberal Government would not proceed with the current design.
Local dentist Tim Chang was also announced at the rally as the Liberal candidate for Footscray. Noticeably absent was sitting Footscray MP Katie Hall.
Yet Sunday’s rally was bigger than any political party or candidate. For local traders, one of the biggest unanswered questions remains; what will permanently changing access to the Village mean for its economic future?
Anderson Street is the main street of a small, tightly connected shopping village. People arrive on foot and bicycle, but they also drive, park, make quick purchases, attend appointments, receive deliveries and move between the two sides of the railway.
Changing those movements permanently changes how the Village functions.
Independent economic analysis commissioned by local traders has warned of potential reductions in retail turnover, with flow-on consequences for employment and business viability.
Forecasts are not certainties, but when the potential consequences are significant and the proposed change permanent, those risks deserve proper examination.
Yarraville is not a manufactured shopping precinct. Its character comes from its independent retailers, cafés, restaurants and services, the Sun Theatre, its heritage streetscape and the people who use it every day. Those businesses help make Yarraville, Yarraville.
The Government says it has consulted extensively and considered alternatives. But Sunday’s rally raises a fundamental question: what does meaningful consultation look like when the decision to permanently close Anderson Street was made years earlier?
Consultation about the details of a predetermined solution is very different from consultation that genuinely allows a community to consider alternatives.
More than 1,000 people gathered on Sunday because they believe there must be a way to improve safety without sacrificing the accessibility, connectivity and economic vitality of Yarraville Village.
The message from Sunday was simple: stop, review and listen.
The community has spoken. The question now is whether the Government will listen.
