[hillcrest]

Hi everyone,

So I have a meeting with main roads Western Australia tomorrow about a major highway which will bypass the small town of Northampton. My main farm that I live on is just north of town.

So 18 years ago my parents managed to stop it by getting a petition together with town residents worried that it will kill the town, as many businesses benefit strongly from tourists. Also, it cuts some of my paddocks up into pieces, and passes bloody close to my house and sheds. I am the main farmer affected as 3 of the 5 kilometres of it pass through my property, the remaining length being residential.

Has anyone ever been in the same situation? In recent cases farmers are being paid terrible money for the land taken.

Some of it is actually heritage listed as there are old copper mines from WW1 era, along with the foundations of some of the first buildings in the town, but that doesn't seem to phase them.

Has anyone heard of substantial things that block something like this? It's going to cost me money long term, and make 3 paddocks, about 10 tiny ones. It's also a pain because I do 2km long runs when spraying in the biggest paddock it goes through which will be halved.

Estimated cost is $110 million Australian dollars. With proposed construction from 2017-18. It is being given federal funding, which is worrying.

Reason for the bypass is literally 200m of road that passes through town, which has a bend in the middle, which triple trailer road trains have a tight squeeze going around. Because of the verandah of the newsagents.

My local shire has tried to sneak it through before without letting land owners know until all plans were done, and we are trying to make sure that doesn't happen. I was tipped off by a friend who heard from inside the shIre.

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated as this farm has been in my family's name for 140 years, and we are ready for a fight. and no one wants to lose land.

Final plans have not been finished, but meeting will discuss where exactly we want it to go, but we'll try and block it first.

Cheers.

 

[coupedriver]

I'm in a similar situation here in Texas, not with a highway, (been there 20 yrs ago, although I was too young to really be involved in the situation), but with a proposed 17,000 acre reservoir. Been fighting this reservoir since 2005 and looks like we are on the loosing end since the district plans are to start construction in 2016. It will take 1325ac of the 2000ac we farm. Not only that, the 1325 are the most fertile, being they are heavy river bottom soil.

Only advice I can offer is try to do as before. Get as many voices against the project as possible. Also, let others know of any detriments the project will/may cause. It's unbelievable (what I experienced anyway) how many people will take the word of the supporters about all the benefits a project will bring, but can't comprehend the negative aspects unless someone points those out.

I've spoken with many senators, representatives, county officials, etc... They act as if they care, but in the end go wherever the most votes are. Maybe you have someone in these positions that will take your side.

By all means stick together! We had a large number of landowners in the beginning opposed to this reservoir. Now eighty percent of the land has been purchased for the project because most just gave up thinking there was nothing they could do. The few holdouts get this thrown back in our face as we're accused of the only ones in the county who didn't want this project and holding up progress.

Good luck to you.

I know the feeling.

 

[bud]

Most of these major projects are for the good of the many, but do have an affect on some, such as yourself. It is doubtful that you are going to have much luck stopping the road because it makes farming tougher for yourself, but you might find other ways.

Last time it was the petition that it will lose business to local town folk. Perhaps this time you could show economics as the reason. It would probably be cheaper to buy a few of the buildings in town and straighten out the curved stretch that the road trains are having trouble on. Perhaps even a pull out could be put in so the odd road train could stop and spend money in the town. If you show them the more economic way and still get the town onside because the road will still go through town. You may also have to have a few intersections closed in town to improve traffic flow..

Most towns get bypassed because they have too many traffic lights, signs, intersections, etc. which really slow the flow of traffic down, most of which never planned on stopping in said town.

Petitions just slow things down. Coming up with viable alternatives would be the area I would concentrate on.

 

[noacres]

Book a flight to Utah. Go down south, grab a desert tortise. Ship it back home.

Set him out in the path of the road and take his picture.


Dispose of said tortise.


The project will be on hold for 3 decades while studies are done to figure out if you have a natural habitat for the turtle or not?


I suppose they will make you stop farming too, but at least the road won't be cutting through your kitchen.

 

[hillcrest]

I'm in a similar situation here in Texas, not with a highway, (been there 20 yrs ago, although I was too young to really be involved in the situation), but with a proposed 17,000 acre reservoir. Been fighting this reservoir since 2005 and looks like we are on the loosing end since the district plans are to start construction in 2016. It will take 1325ac of the 2000ac we farm. Not only that, the 1325 are the most fertile, being they are heavy river bottom soil.

Only advice I can offer is try to do as before. Get as many voices against the project as possible. Also, let others know of any detriments the project will/may cause. It's unbelievable (what I experienced anyway) how many people will take the word of the supporters about all the benefits a project will bring, but can't comprehend the negative aspects unless someone points those out.

I've spoken with many senators, representatives, county officials, etc... They act as if they care, but in the end go wherever the most votes are. Maybe you have someone in these positions that will take your side.

By all means stick together! We had a large number of landowners in the beginning opposed to this reservoir. Now eighty percent of the land has been purchased for the project because most just gave up thinking there was nothing they could do. The few holdouts get this thrown back in our face as we're accused of the only ones in the county who didn't want this project and holding up progress.

Good luck to you.

I know the feeling.

hooooly thats alot of land! We're looking at losing about 100 acres, but then theres the paddocks being cut up into useless sizes.

thanks for the advice, once the meeting has finished and we know exactly whats happening we'll get other land owners, and businesses in the town that would be affected, and try and get everyone together.

theres a comment below yours that mentions about straightening the road, that is one option we really want to get across. would be incredibly cheaper.

 

[hillcrest]

Most of these major projects are for the good of the many, but do have an affect on some, such as yourself. It is doubtful that you are going to have much luck stopping the road because it makes farming tougher for yourself, but you might find other ways.

Last time it was the petition that it will lose business to local town folk. Perhaps this time you could show economics as the reason. It would probably be cheaper to buy a few of the buildings in town and straighten out the curved stretch that the road trains are having trouble on. Perhaps even a pull out could be put in so the odd road train could stop and spend money in the town. If you show them the more economic way and still get the town onside because the road will still go through town. You may also have to have a few intersections closed in town to improve traffic flow..

Most towns get bypassed because they have too many traffic lights, signs, intersections, etc. which really slow the flow of traffic down, most of which never planned on stopping in said town.

Petitions just slow things down. Coming up with viable alternatives would be the area I would concentrate on.

Your right on the money there, that would be the cheapest and smartest option. Thanks for the advice, I'll look into the economic side some more.

 

[712alberta]

I took a look at Northampton on google maps, nice looking little town. I would think that widening the existing road would be much cheaper than building the bypass. Heck it might even be logical. Maybe thats why they want to build a bypass, Governments and logical don't normally go hand in hand around here, perhaps its different in Australia?

Hope things go well for you.

 

[stevie]

Get on council. Makes your own agenda a lot easier. You would be surprised what being on council can do for you. As well find out what vested interest the people voting have. Why do they want things done 1 way versus another.

 

[CTS2]

Just tell the government it's a sacred site...........like this mob did...........

https://myspace.com/born2bvile/video/kevin-bloody-wilson-living-next-door-to-alan/6883595

 

[offroadnt]

Book a flight to Utah. Go down south, grab a desert tortise. Ship it back home.

Set him out in the path of the road and take his picture.


Dispose of said tortise.


The project will be on hold for 3 decades while studies are done to figure out if you have a natural habitat for the turtle or not?


I suppose they will make you stop farming too, but at least the road won't be cutting through your kitchen.

This sounds like a stunt my father would pull, he's been very creative getting oil companies to see things his way. Way back in the eighties the oil company wanted to drill a well near the middle of a quarter, he parked an irrigation pivot on the spot and stumped the oil company for two years. The issue was because the pivot was attached to the field and was parked on the proposed site, they had never encountered this before so had to back to the drawing board to figure what they could do. Another time he put a hay stack on the proposed well site. These days he lets them drill where they want but he has a fixed cost plan that they must follow, every year charges are adjusted for inflation and price hikes. All he needs is for one oil company to agree and the others must follow suit or they windup with some creative roadblocks and such.

I know it doesn't help much but if the group of you get together and brainstorm you might come up with something.

 

[llfarms]

I would try and fight it but don't let it consume you. Life is too short to waste 5 years in court and end up with nothing. I have seen it here fighting power lines, roads or pipelines - people who fight it don't win and end up bitter. If you tell the you need double replacement land value you will probably get farther then telling them no.

 

[Auscocky]

Hillcrest, I've had the "pleasure" of going through that process, only difference is we bought the property knowing it was on a proposed corridor. You are in a slightly better position having held the property for a long time. Basically what happens is you get a valuation, the valuer looks at historical sales in the area to calculate the value of the resumed portion, then he adds compensation for things like the loss of access, earthworks to fix drainage, bores, pipes and any other infrastructure and the inconvenience factor. Meanwhile Main Roads are doing there own numbers and their val came back $80k under the one our valuer came up with. Made some enquires on the legal costs to fight them, bang on $40k. So we ended up doing a deal in the middle. Point being, they do this all the time. They know what it cost to fight it and factor it into their numbers.
But as I said, you have been there a while so maybe in a better position.
Good luck.

 

[hillcrest]

Auscocky,thanks mate.

my old man said that to them in the meeting yesterday, straight to there face that they give stuff all money for land, and the main roads man laughed. Arrogant idiots.

They are open for us to put in concessions and what we want replaced/built. Main thing is to try and push it south so it takes less of our land.

The thing that gets me is how expensive it is. Because this area is solid granite underneath and is moderately to steeply undulating it requires alot of blasting. Which will push the cost over $100m, which I cant see the govn spending.

 

[hillcrest]

Yellow line - my farm boundary, black line - proposed path, white line - where I want it.
They take an 80m wide strip for the hwy

 

[Marc19]

Had our wonderful ndp government build a bridge and highway through our 125 year old farm yard in 2009. With Manitobas expropriation laws we had no choice but to move and fight over damages afterwards. Still waiting to get paid... All I can say is get a good lawyer and document everything! Good luck

 

[CDN]

I don't know why they would bother spending 100m+ on a little section of highway when 1970-1980's television told us we'd have flying cars by 2020.


TV never lies..... I want my flying car.....

 

[V876]

Well I guess another way to approach this is to turn a negative into a positive. You could let the road get built through your land and then set up a bar beside it. Tourists like cold beer and so do locals.
Maybe a strip clup or other type of entertaiment on the other side of the road, then sit back and let the dollars roll in. :22: If this dumbass suggestion workd for you I would expect a cold Fosters when I pass through for the idea.:54: