Town shake-up

PUFFING Billy could be on the move as Belgrave traders build up a head of steam towards a more integrated township.
Belgrave Traders Association (BTA) is proposing the steam train relocate to Belgrave Railway Station.
The proposal is an aspect of BTA’s vision for the future which it will present to the council, local MPs, community groups and residents at a public meeting in November.
BTA president Donna Burgess hoped to hear community views on the plan and push for government funding for a feasibility study into how best to realise ideas.
The study would also incorporate “the initial concept of the deviation of traffic through the township”, an issue that has divided Federal La Trobe MP Jason Wood and his state counterparts, Monbulk MP James Merlino and Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato.
Ms Burgess said there had been a groundswell of support for an integrated plan for Belgrave.
The plan would address traffic, parking, pedestrian safety, public transport, town planning and economic growth.
“Instead of addressing each issue one at a time, we’re hoping to look at them all in one go and have an overall strategic plan for the future,” Ms Burgess said.
Ms Burgess hoped bringing Puffing Billy into the town would maximise its potential.
“I think the township and Puffing Billy can really work better if we bring the two together,” she said.
Andrew Stephens, Puffing Billy chief executive, said the board was yet to give the plan its official backing but saw three distinct advantages.
He said Puffing Billy would be more visible in the proposed location, while moving the train alongside the metropolitan trains would give a sense of the railway’s historic role as the continuation of the line.
It would also improve access for the disabled and people arriving by bus and train.
“At the moment, however you arrive it doesn’t work well,” he said.
Car parking has been a particular problem for visitors to Puffing Billy, the train station and the township in general, and Ms Burgess said it was sending people away from Belgrave.
She said the BTA proposal would consider making the station car park double-storey, perhaps linking it with Hayes Car Park across the rails and thus providing an alternative traffic route.
Mr Wood has been keen to find out the feasibility of such a deviation for some time and has already requested $500,000 in Federal Government funds for a study.
By contrast, Mr Merlino and Ms Lobato say they are still not convinced of the need for a bypass and the level of community support for one.
All three will be among those attending the public meeting at the Masonic Hall at 9.30am on Monday, 13 November.