Mark Robertson: "So where do I park?"
By Catherine Watson
RETAIL giant Bunnings has promised to reinstate Mark Robertson's missing driveway.
The White Road driveway disappeared during roadworks for Wonthaggi's new superstore.
Brett Moody, Bunnings General Manager Property, told the Post on Friday: “We recently reached out to Mr Robertson after being made aware of his concerns and apologised for the inconvenience the roadworks have caused him.
"We’re seeking to rectify the issue as quickly as we can and will work with council to build him a new driveway."
The council has also come to the party, with officers finally meeting Mr Robertson and his disgruntled neighbours on site on Thursday. A council crew will work with Bunnings to address concerns in the service lane off White Road.
Earlier story:
Living opposite the Bunnings big build in Wonthaggi, Mark Robertson and his neighbours have endured six months of noise, chaos and disruption.
For over two months they lost their driveways and footpath. A concreting crew finally came to replace the driveways last week ... all except Mark’s. Apparently it was not on the plans.
He doesn’t know if the concreters were contracting to Bunnings or the council – and nor did they.
He was told there would be a final inspection on Monday by the contractors, council and Bunnings. He waited three hours in the rain to talk to them. No one showed up.
RETAIL giant Bunnings has promised to reinstate Mark Robertson's missing driveway.
The White Road driveway disappeared during roadworks for Wonthaggi's new superstore.
Brett Moody, Bunnings General Manager Property, told the Post on Friday: “We recently reached out to Mr Robertson after being made aware of his concerns and apologised for the inconvenience the roadworks have caused him.
"We’re seeking to rectify the issue as quickly as we can and will work with council to build him a new driveway."
The council has also come to the party, with officers finally meeting Mr Robertson and his disgruntled neighbours on site on Thursday. A council crew will work with Bunnings to address concerns in the service lane off White Road.
Earlier story:
Living opposite the Bunnings big build in Wonthaggi, Mark Robertson and his neighbours have endured six months of noise, chaos and disruption.
For over two months they lost their driveways and footpath. A concreting crew finally came to replace the driveways last week ... all except Mark’s. Apparently it was not on the plans.
He doesn’t know if the concreters were contracting to Bunnings or the council – and nor did they.
He was told there would be a final inspection on Monday by the contractors, council and Bunnings. He waited three hours in the rain to talk to them. No one showed up.
He went to the council three times to request help. He was promised a phone call back but it hasn’t arrived.
He says there has been almost no communication from Bunnings or the council since work started on the Bunnings site and roundabout in January.
“The neighbors are equally nonplussed with the lack of communication from developers. We have spent the past six months adapting to this shitshow, without even the offer of a sausage from the jolly green overlords.”
In that time his nature strip has been been dug up 10 times for drainage and other services. Putting out the bins became a hit and miss affair. The challenge was where to leave them as a new service road was laid between White Road and O’Garey Street. Sometimes they were collected and sometimes not.
The service road is now a narrow one-way road but no one has informed the residents. A street sign states that parking is not allowed between 5am and 12.30pm daily.
So there is no on-street parking for Mark or visitors, but he can’t park on his nature strip.
With the narrowing of the service road, Mark doesn’t even know if he still lives in White Road or whether he has lost his address as well as his driveway.
Unlike the beautifully landscaped new roundabout, his nature strip is thick mud. Step into it (as a linesman did on Tuesday) and you will sink knee deep. Seed has been scattered hopefully on the mud and puddles though the chances of it sprouting at this time of year are remote.
Yesterday he learned he is now supposed to wheel his bins across the service road and leave them in a designated spot. He only learned this because his neighbours heard it from the guys who were concreting the bin area.
He says there has been almost no communication from Bunnings or the council since work started on the Bunnings site and roundabout in January.
“The neighbors are equally nonplussed with the lack of communication from developers. We have spent the past six months adapting to this shitshow, without even the offer of a sausage from the jolly green overlords.”
In that time his nature strip has been been dug up 10 times for drainage and other services. Putting out the bins became a hit and miss affair. The challenge was where to leave them as a new service road was laid between White Road and O’Garey Street. Sometimes they were collected and sometimes not.
The service road is now a narrow one-way road but no one has informed the residents. A street sign states that parking is not allowed between 5am and 12.30pm daily.
So there is no on-street parking for Mark or visitors, but he can’t park on his nature strip.
With the narrowing of the service road, Mark doesn’t even know if he still lives in White Road or whether he has lost his address as well as his driveway.
Unlike the beautifully landscaped new roundabout, his nature strip is thick mud. Step into it (as a linesman did on Tuesday) and you will sink knee deep. Seed has been scattered hopefully on the mud and puddles though the chances of it sprouting at this time of year are remote.
Yesterday he learned he is now supposed to wheel his bins across the service road and leave them in a designated spot. He only learned this because his neighbours heard it from the guys who were concreting the bin area.