Almost a million dollars will go to the long-awaited Tripoli Way bypass at Albion Park after Shellharbour City councillors voted to sell off some land despite objections from Labor councillors.
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At Tuesday night's council meeting, the councillors voted to sell a small strip of road reserve in Allens Lane, Shellharbour Village, to Shellharbour Village Apartments.
The unused section of road reserve adjoins the apartment site at 43 Addison Street.
The section of road reserve is approximately 225 square metres and is valued at around $700,000.
The Roads Act requires that if council sells any land as a result of a road closure, the money that comes from that sale are to be used "for acquiring land for public roads or for carrying out roadwork on public roads".
"In this case, the proceeds from the sale are to be allocated to the Tripoli Way Extension Albion Park Bypass Project," the council papers stated.
The Tripoli Way project will see the road become two lanes in both directions between the Broughton Street and Illawarra Highway intersection and the intersection of the highway and Terry Street.
The main aim of the road is to provide a bypass of the increasingly congested Albion Park town centre.
The area in Allens Lane that will be sold "does not adversely impact the public nor impede the existing driveway access for vehicles, nor does it impact pedestrian access", council papers stated.
The construction company is already required to build a 2.5-metre wide footpath around the site.
At the meeting Labor councillor Lou Stefanovski suggested the $700,000 for the land was not "value for money".
Cr Maree Duffy-Moon also questioned the valuation given land prices in Shellharbour Village and was concerned it would set a precedent for other developers to look to buy neighbouring council land.
Cr Rob Petreski cited a council document that stated Allens Lane would need road widening at some stage.
He also read several emails from residents, which raised concerns about council selling off publicly-owned land.
Councillors voted 5-3 in favour of selling the land, with the three Labor representatives opposing the move.
The proposal to close this section of Allens Lane will be put on public exhibition for 28 days.
If there are no objections during this period, the sale will go ahead.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
