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SAFETY MEASURE: Boulders placed along Council land off Nicolson Avenue.
City of Whyalla work crews have completed the placement of rocks along Nicolson Avenue to block unsafe access to an area of Council land between the MADEC/Centrelink and Department of Child Protection buildings.
The rocks have been placed to stop people from mounting the kerb off Nicolson Avenue and crossing the footpath to access this land where there is no formal crossover. There have also been rocks placed to block a makeshift track from the Department of Child Protection carpark.
Council CEO Chris Cowley explained that the land between the two buildings was Council-owned but not an official, designated car parking area and there were now issues with the way people were accessing this area.
“This is a situation where a piece of Council land has been used by motorists as a carpark and over time people have come to perceive it as a proper carpark,” Mr Cowley said.
“Council now has an issue with the way people are accessing this area.
“Motorists were cutting through on a makeshift track from the Department of Child Protection building carpark and even mounting the Nicolson Avenue kerb and crossing the pedestrian footpath.
“To complicate matters, the perceived ‘proper’ access to the area from Ekblom Street is actually private land and Council has no authority to maintain this ‘access’ which has become degraded and potentially dangerous.
“Council’s duty of care to ensure public safety was the reason for the boulders blocking the makeshift track and the Nicolson Avenue frontage.
“Motorists using the private land access off Ekblom Street do so at their own risk.”
Mr Cowley said the land could come under consideration for an official public carpark in future budget and planning discussions if there was a perceived need.
“We are always open to providing amenities for the community if they are warranted and they fit in with our budget constraints and planning considerations,” Mr Cowley said.
“On most days it appears there are ample spaces in the MADEC/Centrelink carpark and, at this point, we’d advise motorists to make use of those.”
Submissions and enquiries can be made to Council by sending an email to council@whyalla.sa.gov.au via the customer request form on our website http://www.whyalla.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=774 or by writing to PO Box 126 Whyalla, SA, 5600.