I again raise the issue of the proposed Heatherton train stabling yards. Just before Christmas the Heatherton community had a grenade tossed into it by the Victorian government with the announcement that the government, through the Suburban Rail Loop Authority, had decided to create a train stabling yard on what is known as the Delta site. The Delta site is a strategic part of the green wedge in Heatherton, which the Heatherton community and the broader community in the south-east had understood for a long time had been set aside for a chain of parks. It is a site that has long been recognised as important for community recreation, and commitments had been made by this government previously that that site would be converted into a chain of parks for residents throughout east and south-east Melbourne.
So the sudden announcement that it will become a train stabling yard has come as a great concern to the broader Heatherton community but also throughout the south-east. Despite a petition and numerous concerns being raised with the government, the Minister for Transport Infrastructure has not responded to those concerns and the government is running silent on the issue, much to the concern of the community.
So I call on the me Minister for Transport Infrastructure to stop ignoring the Heatherton community and to now meet on site with concerned residents to explain why that site is being used and work with them to identify an alternative, more suitable site for a train stabling yard.