Road renaming in Gherang rejected

A STATE government body has knocked back the Surf Coast Shire’s renaming of part of a road in Gherang.

Nobles Road runs generally north-south but forks at a Y-intersection as it approaches Tanners Road, with both the southern section and the east-west section being called Nobles Road.

In 2015 a member of public raised concerns about the potential confusion of the naming of the road, and the council proceeded through a road naming process.

This resulted in a resolution to rename that east-west section to Matthews Road and appropriate signage was installed on site.

However, late last year, the shire received a letter from the Office of Geographic Names, informing the council that it did not approve the use of “Matthews” for the road due to a Matthews Road already existing within a 30km radius.

At their meeting last week, councillors resolved to return the section of road to its previous name of Nobles Road and to improve signage to clarify the locations of residents on the road, but it took the mayor’s casting vote to pass the motion.

Cr James McIntyre spoke in favour.

“I think it makes incredible sense to return to the previous system … as a resident of the area, when you’re driving down that road, it seems as though we’ve taken the opportunity to rename a stretch of the road that doesn’t represent a breakoff of Nobles Road – it’s actually really a continuation of the same road,” he said

“What we’re essentially doing is breaking that part of Nobles Road in half and saying ‘that half is Nobles Road and that half is Matthews Road’ which, to me, doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Cr Heather Wellington led the opposition to the motion, saying the confusion over the two sections of road would return.

“I can’t believe we’re putting this forward, to be honest. Is it too much trouble to find a word for a road?”

A division was called, with councillors McIntyre, David Bell, Margot Smith and Rose Hodge in favour and councillors Wellington, Clive Goldsworthy, Brian McKiterick and Martin Duke voting against it.