Residents’ drive near end of road

By Rebecca Fraser
THE tale of a Berwick road that has two ends but no middle is finally drawing to a close.
Council has allocated $260,000 in the next financial year’s budget to complete Gwendoline Drive, fulfiling a 20-year promise.
The annoucement has come as good news to the countless number of residents angered by the unfinished project.
There is just 140 metres in the middle of Gwendoline Drive that remains undeveloped, preventing it from becoming a through road.
In the past few months, Springfield Ward councillors Lorraine Wreford and Michael Farley have presented joint letters from residents expressing frustration about the unfinished road.
A letter sent to council earlier this year stated that the road’s completion had been on the council agenda since May 1984 but had still not been brought to fruition.
Angry residents also claimed that in March 2000 the council stated clearly that the deviation (completion of the road) be included in the five-year capital works program.
This did not happen and residents then vowed to use whatever means available, whether that be the media, letterbox drops or advertising, to bring the issue to public notice.
Gwendoline Drive resident Barbara Goodier has been very vocal about council’s inaction and has regularly called on council to set a clear deadline for the completion of the road as a matter of absolute urgency.
Ms Goodier this week said she was delighted that the money had finally been allocated, but said she hoped council would make the project a key priority.
“The sooner we get this done the better. Children will be safer and the safety will be improved for all concerned. I am thrilled to bits that this is finally happening,” she said.
Ms Goodier said she was looking forward to passing on the good news to George Heck who had started the campaign for the road’s completion some two decades ago.