VPRS 10452 Inward and Outward Correspondence with Councils:Eastern Corridor Study

The Eastern Corridor Study (ECS) grew out of the Ringwood Roads Impact and Koonung Valley Corridor Studies. The Study covered an area which spanned several municipalities within Melbourne's eastern suburbs, with boundaries from Burke Road in the west to Croydon in the east, and from Canterbury Road in the south to Warrandyte Road in the north.In July 1972, the Country Roads Board (CRB) was authorised by the Minister for Local Government to investigate the construction of a freeway in the Ringwood Area (between June 1970 and May 1973, the CRB reported to the Minister for Local Government). From this, the CRB hired consultants in September 1974 to undertake the Ringwood Roads Impact Study (RRIS). A further transport study in the adjoining Koonung Valley area (the Koonung Valley Corridor Study or KVCS) was commissioned in March 1975 by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (VA 1007).In July 1975 State Cabinet combined these two studies into the Eastern Corridor Study (ECS), for which a Final Report and Recommendations were to be submitted to Government by Christmas that year. A Management Group was established, comprising representatives from the CRB, MMBW and the Ministries for Planning, Transport and Conservation. Consultants were appointed to carry out the bulk of the research the main organisation being Alan M Voorhees & Partners Pty Ltd (AMV), which undertook the majority of research and community consultation. Sub-contractors were also employed to advise the CRB, obtain data, and produce technical reports.The major public concerns which the Management Group required consultants to address in their research were around issues of relocation, compensation and noise from increased traffic. There was considerable opposition to the proposed route of the freeways and major roads being considered in the ECS, from householders and organisations affected. There had been for 20 years a major road reservation in the planning scheme.Consultants undertook consultations in order to gauge community attitudes. A landscape study and investigation of the ecological characteristics of the corridor and impacts of the new transport infrastructure were undertaken by the consultants.The Summary Report and Recommendations were presented in December 1975 (a copy of which is in VPRS 10448 Reports: Eastern Corridor Study). No conclusions were reached by the consultants in the Report. The Final Report and Recommendations to the Government were produced by the Management Group and submitted in late December 1975.This series consists of files containing correspondence and other records, such as notes taken at meetings and interviews, relating to the ECS consultants dealings with the various councils in the area affected by the project. The consultants dealt with the local councils, as well as with smaller groups operating within the municipality, such as Ratepayers Associations or Elderly Citizens Clubs. The files in this series contain records created in the course of the Study's interaction with these groups.There is also a file in this series called 'Task Forces'. It contains reports prepared by task forces on matters relevant to the ECS, such as that of the Blackburn Road Safety Task Force.