A small piece of Crown land in Bendigo which has been used as a car park for decades has been fenced off.
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The land, which is located on the corner of Creek Street North and Short Street had been used as a car park, before vehicles parked on the land were issued with warnings during late August by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
The notice indicated the department “has no record of any authority to use Crown land for parking” and requested any vehicles parked be moved.
“If the vehicles are not removed, Penalty Infringement Notices (PIN) may be issued for Driving Off Road and for Parking on Crown land both of which carry fines of $500 under the Land Conservation (Vehicle Control) Regulations 2013,” the notice read.
“Please note the registration of your car has been recorded and should the department note the vehicle parked on this location again, then PINs may be issued.”
Bill Gregg lives in close proximity to the land and noticed warnings on windscreens before fencing or signage was in place to warn people not to park there.
“The land has been used as a car park since 1967,” Mr Gregg said.
“It would’ve helped if they had fenced off the land before they started putting warnings on cars.
“It would also be a good idea to seal the land with concrete and make it into a proper car park.”
The piece of Crown land fits approximately eight cars, however, recently large puddles of water formed creating an uneven surface which has caused the land to deteriorate.
DELWP program manager, land and built environment Calum Walker said the current state of the land posed a safety risk.
"The Crown land located near the corner of Short Street and Creek Street North does not meet the required safety standards to be used as a designated car park and poses a risk to passing traffic and pedestrians,” Mr Walker said.
"As the land manager, DELWP has installed temporary fencing to prevent parking on the land until a permanent structure is put in place.
"The site is currently being assessed by DELWP to determine how it may be used in the future.”
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