Cardinia residents Catherine and Steve Manning with Kerri Johnson, Bill Forrester, Sharon Mitchell, Ray West, Lucinda and Mietta Manning and Stewart Mallinson are unhappy about the impact on Cardinia of expanding the Port of Hastings.
By Paul Dunlop
RESIDENTS angry at a controversial proposal to cut a new freight link through Cardinia Shire have been given more time to have their say.
A deadline for submissions on the Port of Hastings Land Use and Transport Strategy was extended to 14 March to allow more time for community feedback.
Angry Cardinia residents had lobbied for the extension, saying they felt they had been deliberately kept in the dark over the plans for a freight rail link through the shire to connect Gippsland with the Port of Hastings.
The proposed rail line could result in compulsory acquisition of residential and farm land from Pakenham to Pearcedale, including properties along Ballarto, Clyde and the BaxterTooradin roads.
Residents said the Port of Hastings Corporation had failed to adequately inform the community of the plans. Hundreds of people turned up to voice their concerns at two public meetings just before Christmas.
Port of Hastings CEO Ralph Kenyon denied claims that residents had been kept in the dark but agreed to pleas, voiced by residents, council and Bass MP Ken Smith, to extend the public consultation period.
Mr Kenyon said he welcomed a wide range of contributions and emphasised that the proposal remained “in the very early stages of consultation”.
“The purpose of the consultation is to ensure all interested parties have an opportunity to have a say,” Mr Kenyon said.
“We welcome the opportunity to provide people with details about the draft strategy to ensure they can make informed submissions and contribute to the process.”
Mr Kenyon said the Port of Hastings Corporation had set out to ensure all community members were provided with information during two stages of public exhibition over the past 12 months.
But Cardinia resident Catherine Manning said locals remained concerned that the proposal was being conducted “under the radar”.
Mrs Manning welcomed the extension of the public submission period but said residents were still coming to terms with the implications of the plan.
“A lot of people are freaking right out,” she said.
“People honestly believe it is being kept very quiet. There is definitely a lot of anxiety out there.”
Despite Mr Kenyon being a guest speaker at the second public meeting, his outlining of the proposal did not allay people’s concerns, Mrs Manning said.
“People are starting to see how seriously this could affect the area,” she said.
Another public meeting will be held at the Cranbourne Public Hall on Wednesday, 17 January at 7.30pm.
Mr Kenyon said the draft strategy was the Port of Hastings’ response to the State Government’s ports policy, the Victorian Ports Strategic Framework, which identified Hastings as the preferred site for the future development of container handling facilities to complement container facilities at the Port of Melbourne.
“We anticipate the Port of Hastings will eventually be needed to help Victoria deal with continuing rapid trade growth beyond 2030,” he said.
“It is important that we plan now to identify the necessary land and transport access options to be preserved to allow for the establishment of container handling facilities at Hastings in the future.”
The recommendation for a new rail link connecting Hastings with Dandenong via Clyde and Gippsland via Pakenham has been at the centre of residents concerns.
Mr Kenyon said the objective of developing rail links was to ensure a significant proportion of freight moving to and from the port could be carried on rail to reduce the impact of road freight transport.
“The exact location and layout of the track is still some way from being determined,” Mr Kenyon said.
