The unpopular large scale waste facilities proposed for Fyshwick have attracted unprecedented political interest in the countdown to the ACT election, but more commitment is needed from the major parties.
Speaking at the Fyshwick Markets today, President of the Fyshwick Business Association Rob Evans said while the interest and public pronouncements of opposition from politicians were welcome, there needed to be more concrete policy to reassure the 1000 businesses and 13,000 workers in Fyshwick.
“The election is exactly a month away. We’ve heard a bit from various politicians in the past fortnight, but the reality is no-one has stumped up with a knock-out blow to prevent them from going ahead,” Mr Evans said.
“Both Labor and the Liberals have said they oppose the CRS facility proposed for 16 Ipswich Street which intends to process 300,000 tonnes a year of smelly household kerbside waste by diverting rubbish trucks from Mugga Lane to Fyshwick, but they haven’t revealed how they would stop the development, and the much larger Hi Quality proposal in Tennant Street is still on the table.”
Mr Evans said the Hi Quality facility planned to process 1.1 million tonnes a year of industrial, commercial, demolition and liquid waste, much of it contaminated, as well as material containing asbestos.
“That volume is more than Mugga Lane accepts in a year, and nearly all of it will come and go in these massive 19 metre long 40 tonne rigid trucks with dog trailers. Their own traffic impact assessment says there’ll be nearly 1500 extra vehicle movements every weekday and up to 148 extra vehicle movements an hour during the busiest times. That’s going to be chaos for every other driver going about their business.
“To be clear, this is not about the trucks or drivers. We love them, they are the lifeblood of Fyshwick. The concern is the impact such a large development will have by generating 1500 extra heavy vehicle movements a day onto a road network that isn’t designed for it.
“The ACT Waste Management Strategy 2011-2025 is very clear that this sort of facility should be co-located at the Resource Recovery Estate in Hume.
“We’ve got a month to go until the ACT election and the Fyshwick Business Association is calling on the major political parties to come up with a comprehensive policy that delivers a master plan for Fyshwick that will knock out current and future inappropriate developments, reduce uncertainty, provide clarity for new investment and help Fyshwick businesses to thrive and their workers feel secure and optimistic about their futures,” Mr Evans said.