Mate Street demolition and car park construction plans approved by Albury Council

The council this week gave the green light to plans to demolish a house on the corner of Mate and Bellevue streets to create a bigger car park for O-health patients.

But residents said issues with increased traffic and dangerous driving would still exist even though users of the car park could only enter and exit from Mate Street.

Lorraine Webb, speaking at the public forum ahead of the council meeting, wanted the development application deferred until the traffic issues were sorted.

Among solutions she put forward were no left to turn into Bellevue Street from Mate Street and speed humps along Bellevue and Frauenfelder streets, Park Avenue and Muntz and Polkinghorne lanes.

"The impact they are having on the neighbourhood is significant and no one is listening," she said.

Another speaker, Clark Watson, said he supported the business, but was also deeply concerned by traffic issues.

"In the last eight months alone we've experienced three high speed police chases," he said.

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O-health director Tom Barry conceded Mate Street, where some patients presently parked, was a "troublesome child" for council.

'It creates significant exposure, but is very challenging for our patients to have safe access," he said.

"We can see there are going to be issues about parking coming and we are trying to get on the front foot.

"Everything we do will be Mate Street facing."

Fifteen objections were received to the plans which would see car parks increased from 25 to 38.

A meeting between opponents, O-health and council staff was held in mid-June.

A push by deputy mayor Amanda Cohn for a report by staff about measures to reduce speed in the area to be presented to councillors within six months lapsed due to the lack of seconder.

Cr van de Ven said the report was unnecessary.

"I think the council staff are well aware of the issues around the traffic," he said.

Cr Alice Glachan said the traffic issues were an "unfortunate set of circumstances".

"The speeding and car chasing are not directly related to this business," she said.

"That needs to be dealt with in a separate way.

"I do entirely feel for the people of that community and that part of North Albury, (but) it is not unusual for that to happen in a number of streets."

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