Commenting on Minster Napthine’s announcement re proposal to expand Webb Dock, Vice President of Save Our Suburbs, Ann Birrell said:
“It is nonsense for Minister Napthine to say ‘there will be no negative impact on local residents or traffic’. “An extra 2,000 trucks per day on inner city streets must have negative impacts.
“This is Stage one of a two stage Port Plan which involves the transport through inner city suburbs of up to 8 million additional containers on 3 million trucks each year by 2035. “These trucks will travel through Garden City and Port Melbourne and then through inner city Melbourne, Footscray, South Melbourne and Bayside.
“Comments from the Port of Melbourne, at last years planning hearing, that ‘‘transport is vexed issue’’ and ‘’congestion is an operational matter for Council’’ are not nearly good enough. The EPA, the Port Phillip Council have all called for ‘assessment of the full range of impacts’. These include amenity, health and environmental impacts.
“The decision for this huge new port development should not be made before the full range of impacts have been assessed, costed and provided for.
“Infrastructure must be in place before large development plans such as this are implemented.
“Social and environmental impacts should be considered before, and as part of the decision on new development, not after the decision has been made.
“There is a serious gap in infrastructure planning in Victoria.
“Complex, long term decisions are not being fully considered in a well informed way.
“This announcement demonstrates that in freight transport, as in public transport, there is no long term vision for the sustainable development of our city.
Further comment, contact Ann Birrell 0419 550 538
Port of Melbourne:
‘there is little prospect that port related traffic will have a significant impact on Garden City’ p113; ‘traffic congestion issues are an operational matter for Council rather than issues that can be addressed through the statutory planning framework.’
P116. Ports and Environs Advisory Committee Paper http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/34376/Ports_and_E…
EPA:
The PoMC must be specific about the full range of likely impacts … air quality, water run off, light spill and noise emissions … tangible standards and solutions … regularly reported and monitored … responsibility for ensuring the standards are … met clearly defined … Internationally there is a growing body of evidence that air pollution arising from port activities can significantly impact on the health of surrounding communities … These findings should inform any decisions about defining the Port Environs in Victoria
EPA submission July 2010 pp 2,1 to PoMC Hearing http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning/panelsandcommittees/current/ports-an…
CIty of Port Phillip:
“Assess all of the environmental risks that are posed by the ports. Go beyond the current amenity focus of the discussion paper, to consider the impacts on human health and overall environmental quality1”
CoPP submission to PoMC Hearing http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning/panelsandcommittees/current/ports-and-environs-advisory-committee