CRESWICK and Clunes will see an influx of B-double trucks, with an extra 3520 trips approved each year from now until April 2019.
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Hepburn Shire Council has approved two applications from GDP Transport and one application from Charlies Transport to use B-double vehicles and High Mass Limit vehicles in Reed Street, Bald Hills Road, Victoria Street and Creswick-Lawrence Road in Creswick.
The agreement will see an additional 3160 truck trips through Creswick each year and an extra 360 through Clunes.
B-doubles are classes as prime-movers towing two semi-trailers.
An application has also been approved for Clunes-Campbelltown Road, Ligar Street, Daylesford-Clunes Road an West Berry Road in Clunes.
The hours of operation were approved for 7am to 6pm, although GDP had subsequently asked for 24-hour access.
Creswick ward councillor Don Henderson suggested adding a condition that if trucks were not back at the depot by 6pm, then they should only use the Bald Hills Road route to avoid unnecessary residential impact.
“If they are required to leave early or arrive late, they go via Bald Hills Road, not Reed Street or Victoria street as only one or two houses are situated there and it will cause a minimum amount of impact on the community,” he said.
He said GDP Transport was a “good corporate citizen” in Creswick.
“It’s is a big employer in the town of Creswick. I hear lots of complains about cowboy operators with rows of gravel (being impacted) and everything else, but I’m yet to hear a complaint about this company.”
General Manager Infrastructure Bruce Lucas said that was a “reasonable compromise”.
He also said the company did not expect arrivals after 6pm would be “common practice” but that sometimes it would be “unavoidable”.
Greg May, also a Creswick ward councillor, said he supported the motion but said it would be a “good thing” if the company stuck to the rules.
“However, I’ll be surprised if a driver on a long trip from Queensland will take the longer way around back to his depot,” he said.
GDP is a Creswick-based operator that specialises in the transport of bulk grain, fertiliser and hay, containers, machinery and general items.
Charlies Transport works in the movement of quarry products.