Kept in the dark

By Jade Lawton
BERWICK Village traders are in the dark about the City of Casey’s plans for lighting up High Street.
Berwick Village Chamber of Commerce President Harry Hutchinson said the council might have pulled the plug on long-awaited plans to light up two large trees, one outside Shanikas and one outside the Berwick Inn.
Traders had been paying for the lights, which were to be part of the village’s streetscape works, through a levy in their rates for some time, he said.
“We pay a levy in our rates to fund the streetscapes and now they are saying there is no money when basically it has already been budgeted for and we have already paid for it,” he said.
“They’ve basically changed their minds – but it’s our money, and we want what we have paid for.”
The up-lit trees were proposed to add ambience to Berwick and act as another drawcard for diners.
Documents shown to the Gazette detail a meeting between a City of Casey council officer, Mr Hutchinson and the chamber’s then vice-president Ann Beauchamp at Chit-Chat’s, on High Street, in August 2009.
The trio discussed the extent and design of the lighting and the council officer, who has since moved on, presented lighting plans to the chamber members. It was agreed that a select number of large trees would be up-lit.
The chamber requested a timer for the lighting so it could be switched on from dusk to midnight.
Mr Hutchinson said the chamber had since been told there was no longer money for the project, despite traders contributing half the funds for the streetscape works.
When asked by the Gazette, the council could not confirm if the up-lit trees would be part of the next stage of streetscape projects.
City of Casey Director of Planning and Development Peter Fitchett said the Berwick Village Commercial Centre Special Rate Scheme was implemented to provide funding for a number of streetscape projects in and around Berwick Village, including streetscape improvement works, powerline undergrounding and aerial bundling of cables.
Mr Fitchett said planning for stage three works was due to commence shortly, but did not confirm if the lighting of the trees was still part of the scheme.