Calala homeowners demand improvements to road safety

Ms Boneham and many of her neighbours say they're tired of the lack of kerb and guttering in Tamworth's outer suburbs.

"There's no drains, so when it rains it just floods down the side of the road, and it doesn't take much rain to make a real gusher," homeowner on Panorama Road Howard Barnes said.

Mr Barnes said the lack of guttering makes their street a safety hazard even during light rain, as it creates a "raging torrent" which he said has already caused a car crash, a bike accident, and large amounts of property damage.

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When Tamworth Regional Council was contacted on the issue, a spokesperson said "a kerb and gutter program was adopted by council in April last year" and that "part of Panorama Road was identified as a priority".

However, the statement from council didn't include any timeline as to when Panorama Road would receive kerb and guttering, and residents said they're "fed up with empty promises" after trying to get them installed for decades.

A new council has been elected since the homeowners' last application for kerb and guttering in March 2021, so they're planning to re-submit, though Ms Boneham said they shouldn't have to.

"You should not have to petition for kerbs and guttering, which are a necessity. What are we even paying rates for?" she said.

Both residents said it's especially unfair to see new houses get kerb and guttering as they go up.

"The message seems to be that since Panorama Road is one of the oldest streets in Calala, it's never gonna happen, because the time when these things get done is when the street is new," Mr Barnes said.

Ms Boneham said it's ironic for the council to receive millions of dollars for a skywalk at the Oxley Lookout when no homes are built there, while her neighbours have to walk on the road every day.

"It's dangerous here as well. I've seen mothers pushing their prams in the road because there's no footpath," she said.

A council spokesperson said the 2022 Kerb and Gutter Construction Priority Program, adopted in April, gives priority "based on the reduction in the potential stormwater flows through private properties".

"Projects offering the largest reduction in potential stormwater flows are given a higher ranking," the spokesperson said.

But Ms Boneham said she's sceptical that Panorama Road getting a higher ranking "really means anything" and that similar promises were made to her neighbours in the mid-80s.

"Why don't they get their priorities right and fix up the things that were meant to be fixed 40 years ago?" she said.

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