Speculation grows: Is Main Roads offering to pay out landowners affected by proposed Geraldton bypass road?

Speculation is circulating that Main Roads has started negotiating to buy land to proceed with Geraldton’s controversial bypass road, prompting questions about whether a route has been finalised in secret. Although Main Roads has denied a route has been set in stone, locals and other stakeholders are calling for an update on the project. Plans for the new bypass between Dongara and Northampton — with the aim of diverting heavy haulage around Geraldton to improve road safety — show the road cutting through local communities such as Walkaway and Moonyoonooka. Those communities have petitioned against Main Roads’ preferred route, calling for alternatives to be considered and adopted. In Moonyoonooka, the proposal puts the future of the 100-year-old local store in jeopardy. The Moonyoonooka Store is the only food and fuel outlet on the Geraldton-Mount Magnet Road. Almost 2000 people signed a petition last year to save the store. But Moonyoonooka locals would love to know the latest from the State Government, including couple Sherlie and Colin Johnson. They have lived around the corner from the Moonyoonooka Store for many years, and it’s now time for them to downsize for retirement. Mrs Johnson said they had been trying to sell their much-loved home close to the proposed bypass for about two years, with only four or five people showing any interest during that time. In recent weeks, Mrs Johnson said they had been in talks with Main Roads about the possibility of the State Government buying them out. In October 2020, when Main Roads released the proposed bypass route for community consultation, which revealed it cutting straight through the general store, the news was met with community backlash. The community has not heard any update on the proposal since. Mrs Johnson said she and her husband were pensioners and ready to move on, especially after losing their eldest son last Christmas. She said there was no point going through the effort of renovating the property if Main Roads was just going to knock it down. “We need to do things here, I need to paint, I need to put down new flooring. I need to do a few things but I don’t want to spend the money if they’re going to knock it down for the road,” she said. Mrs Johnson said they met with Main Roads project development manager Kim Ingle about three weeks ago, and he told them to write a “letter of hardship” to the department informing them they have been wanting to sell their property, but haven’t been able to because of the bypass. She said the Main Roads manager asked her what price the property was selling for and flagged the department’s interest in purchasing the property. Mrs Johnson added she received a call from Main Roads at the start of March asking to get their agent to verify people were interested in the property. “He (Mr Ingle) said more or less said, ‘they (Main Roads) can come out and see you and offer to buy you out straight away,” she said. “We’re not going for nothing. We will be fighting for every cent we can get — and a bit more.” Shadow minister for transport Shane Love said he had not heard any updates from Main Roads since community consultation but was eager to see how the development progressed. “I believe the store plays a vital part in the region and it’s very important to the people. It would be wise to build around the store and not through it,” Mr Love said. Mr Love was surprised when it was mentioned Main Roads had made inquires into the price of residential properties around the store. “It would mean they had selected the route and haven’t told anyone,” he said. Mr Love raised a question in Parliament last week, asking if the Dongara-Geraldton-Northampton route had been finalised, referring to the word-of-mouth that Main Roads was in negotiation with land owners in the Moonyoonooka area. Transport Minister Rita Saffiot said a briefing had been sought and no decision had been made. “It does seem strange that (Main Roads) were in negotiation to buy land if there was doubt over the route,” Mr Love said. Although Mr Love had been told about the speculation and Mrs Johnson confirmed she’d been in negotiations, Main Roads spokesperson Dean Roberts said the route was still in a planning stage, with no funding currently allocated. “Main Roads continues to assess potential amendments to the southern portion of the future corridor alignment between Dongara and Geraldton to address identified constraints and community concerns raised,” he said. Mr Roberts said Main Roads had conducted several landowner meetings to support the alignment selection planning study. “Main Roads continues to work with relevant stakeholders, including members of the community, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, the Mid West Development Commission and Local Governments to understand constraints and opportunities in the area and seek to identify best outcomes for landowners and the wider community and other stakeholders, including the Moonyoonooka Store,” he said. Mrs Johnson said although the bypass didn’t affect them as their house was already up for sale, she didn’t want to see the Moonyoonooka Store demolished for the proposed bypass. “That was my first job over there, it’s 101 years old,” Mrs Johnson said. The owner of the Moonyoonooka Store declined to comment for this story, but said current speculation was “just rumours”.