The City of Melbourne has recommended to its councillors the East West Link should go ahead with key changes.
This may be in line with a vote by councillors in August declaring the City “does not support the East West Link project as announced”.
In a draft submission to go to Council on Tuesday 10 December, council officers advise telling the Planning Minister the project be changed to reduce its impact.
Key changes include removing the ramp at Elliot Avenue and removing the extra viaduct running along Moonee Ponds Creek adjacent to the existing CityLink.
“The City of Melbourne considers that the full East West Link transport function can be achieved without a significant portion of the proposed extra viaduct”, the report says.
The design for the East West Link includes tunnelling under Royal Park and building flyovers across Ross Straw Field. The Council report recommends the interchange between the East West Link and CityLink “be reviewed to reduce the impact on the community in West Parkville and the Manningham Reserve area”.
As an alternative, the report proposes a tunnel under Royal Park and Kensington linking the East West Link with the port – similar to the design proposed by Eddington in 2008.
Also pictured are several alternatives for Ross Straw Field including a transformation of the park into a large wetland or creating an “earth mound” over a section of the Link.
Further changes include reducing noise impacts and connecting water storage systems along the path of the Link.
The Council estimates it will need to spend $5 million to maintain local amenity n Kensington, Parkville and North Melbourne streets.
Close to 5000 trees in Royal Park are likely to be removed according to the report – with more than 1000 permanently lost – at an amenity value of over $15 million.
Improvements to the Upfield line and Macaulay and Flemington Bridge stations are also recommended including better access for pedestrians and cyclists.
East West Link Blog 
Don’t agree to this horror. We keep obeying the need of cars. They are emotionless machines. If we reduce the need for cars we wont need to murder our parks. When will we get the message. TOO MANY CARS!
City of Melbourne accepts and in some ways exacerbates LMA’s dumping of most of the problems in the City of Moonee Valley when the two municipalities should be obligated to work together in the interests of the boundary they share in the neglect of through much of the works area north of Racecourse Road. In particular the last minute Ormond Road off ramp dumps traffic in an area which has no excess capacity (Maribyrnong & Brunswick Roads) and does consequential damage to a string of hard won and now well used community facilities from Debney’s Park to Holbrook Reserve.