After more than ten years of complaints a walkway in Kookaburra Close will be permanently closed.
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Residents have raised concerns to Dubbo Regional Council about the walkway since 2007, especially in consideration to the criminal element it attracts.
The walkway connects the cul-de-sac to the Dubbo to Yeoval railway corridor, which hasn’t been used since the 1980s.
The concerns about the walkway were ignited again when a car was sent alight in the street last month.
In a report on the closure, council’s manager transport and emergency Steve Clayton said the police had confirmed there was an increased level of criminal activity in the area.
Mr Clayton said residents had also expressed concern for their personal safety and the risk of property theft, which they believed was attributed to the ease of covert access to the street from the walkway.
“Walkways can contribute to the provision of escape routes by criminals in a local residential area and with the undeveloped rail corridor at the eastern end of the walkway this has exacerbated the difficulty of securing private property against this type of activity,” he said.
Mayor Ben Shields said the advice from different agencies council had approached about the walkway had been to close it.
“Over the years I understand there has been representations from members of the public and residents in that area for the closure of Kookaburra Close which have all been met by refusals from various councils. This is a great outcome that were actually able to work with the residents of this cul-de-sac,” he said.
Last month council voted to close the walkway between 36 and 38 Twickenham Drive. Neighbours were in favour of closing the walkway between 36 and 38 Twickenham Drive as a way to decrease anti-social behaviour.
The walkway land at Twickenham Drive and Kookaburra Close will be sold.
Councillor Stephen Lawrence said the web streaming was allowing hundreds of people to see the decisions made by council. It could be the reason residents were raising concerns about their own walkways, he said, because they were seeing the action council was taking.
Director technical services Chris Devitt said council dealt with residents’ walkway complaints on a case-by-case basis and made a recommendation based on merit. Mr Devitt said he didn’t believe there needed to be a review of all the walkways.