MINUTES OF THE INNER HARBOUR COMMUNITY LIAISON GROUP. Date: 8 September 2015 Boardroom Fremantle Ports Administration Building

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE INNER HARBOUR COMMUNITY LIAISON GROUP Date: 8 September 2015 Location: Boardroom Fremantle Ports Administration Building Time: Chairperson 5.00pm to 6.30pm Chris Leatt-Hayter Community representatives: David Earl, Fremantle Arts Centre Precinct Rev. Dennis Claughton, Flying Angel Club for Seafarers Victoria Willets, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce Rod Murray, South Fremantle Precinct Cr Jon Strachan, City of Fremantle Robert Potts, Beaconsfield Precinct Don Whittington, Fremantle Park Association Gerry MacGill, North Fremantle Precinct Roel Loopers, Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides John Tedesco, Rottnest Island Authority Cr Tony Watkins, Town of East Fremantle David Hawks, Fremantle Society Fremantle Ports representatives Chris Leatt-Hayter, Chief Executive Officer Gino Valenti, General Manager Strategy and Planning Jeanette Murray, External Affairs Coordinator Apologies Simon Avenell, Chair Dr Ian McLeod and Gill Harrison, Western Australian Maritime Museum Ron Kawalilak, Gibson Park Precinct Mary Chila, White Gum Valley Precinct Olwyn Williams, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce Cr Jenny Harrington and Cr Michael McPhail, Town of East Fremantle Ron Davidson, Fremantle History Society Ainslie de Vos, Manager External Affairs Helen Elliott, Community Relations Coordinator 1

2 1. WELCOME, APOLOGIES AND INVITATION FOR AGENDA ITEMS Gino Valenti chaired the meeting at the beginning and welcomed: Mark Hazebroek, Senior Project Director, and Chris Rickard, Community Relations Manager, from Main Roads WA Victoria Willets, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce Roel Loopers, representing Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides. Roel is replacing Beth Bax who has been a regular member for 14 years. Cr Tony Watkins, Town of East Fremantle Thank you to group members who responded to survey from Vicki Williams, URS Australia Pty Limited and provided input into Fremantle Ports SEQ policy review. Additional agenda items: Cr Jon Strachan: Comment on Wilson Parking at Victoria Quay. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 June 2015 had been circulated. Action from previous meeting: Chris Leatt-Hayter to write to MRWA requesting a briefing on the Perth Freight Link. The request has been ongoing since September (MRWA representatives at meeting.) 2. PERTH FREIGHT LINK PRESENTATION Presenter: Mark Hazebroek, MRWA Presentation: Perth Freight Link: Roe 8 and Section 2, Improving Perth s transport network Recent history: 2003: Fremantle Eastern Bypass deleted from MRS; : Roe Highway Extensions: Stages 4-7; : Roe 8 (South Metro Connect) Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road; Stock Road planned in MRS for upgrade to freeway standard; Various concepts for Stock Road / Leach Highway intersection examined over time; Leach Highway / High Street Upgrade - Carrington to Marmion Street. Roe 8 and Section 2: Key announcements: May 2014: Roe 8 and Section 2 announced in Federal Budget; December 2014: Business Case approved and base case route released to media; February 2015: Procurement commenced. Strategic fit: $3.7 billion total Federal/State investment to provide a high standard 85km freight link from Muchea to Fremantle: Gateway WA complete mid 2016; NorthLink WA complete 2019; Roe 8 and Section 2 complete mid Project benefits: Faster, safer, more reliable journeys; Improved freight efficiency; 5,000 trucks off the southern road network; Improved access to Fremantle and the Murdoch Activity Centre / FSH; 2,400 new jobs during construction. Doing nothing is not an option: If we do not address Perth s freight challenge: Population growth (30% increase in a decade); Traffic volumes (Freight growth on unsuitable routes); Congestion in the southern suburbs (Cost to State: $2.1b by 2021); Safety performance (72%+ crashes on Leach Hwy rear enders); Travel times for all road users (11-15 minute time savings not realised); Productivity and freight efficiency (Time and vehicle operating savings of $3.3b not delivered); Access and amenity along Leach Hwy (Dangerous situation for homeowners, schools and communities. Other considerations: Future Outer Harbour: Inner Harbour demands remain even when Outer Harbour comes on line; New harbour requires a multi billion dollar investment, and will 2

3 ultimately be market driven; Roe 8 supports both Inner and Outer Harbour key assumption in Business Case. Road vs Rail: Complementary forms of transport, suiting different freight demands; 97% of freight movements within the metropolitan area; 70% of these movements not suitable for rail; 14% of metropolitan freight on rail already highest of any port in Australia; Government target: 30%. Status north/south of river traffic: 90% approx. traffic to/from Fremantle Port south of River one third from South West of State; Container handling sites concentrated in the south and east (Kwinana, Kewdale/ Forrestfield); Cost saving Roe-Port one-way $14/trip ($22 peak periods) HVC will be less, giving net financial gain; No incentive for additional trucks to seek alternate routes such as heading north from the Port; Result: Negligible projected increase in traffic volumes on Curtin Avenue as a result of PFL. Maps shown of Roe Highway Extension (Roe 8) and proposed environmental innovation from North Lake Road to Kwinana Freeway. Map of Section 2 existing concept design (Coolbellup Ave to High St). Section 2 alternative route: May 2015: Shortlisted proponents asked to develop proposals on alternative Section 2 routes; Proponents examined innovative solutions including tunnelling; Key consideration to minimise impacts to residential and commercial properties; Proposals assessed against social, economic and environmental considerations; Announcement from Minister expected after costs have been submitted. Project status: Roe 8: Contract award: October 2015; Construction begins: early 2016; Access to FSH / Murdoch Precinct: March 2017; Completion date: mid Section 2: Route confirmation: Q4 2015; Program for construction to be confirmed once route is selected. The last mile - Canning Hwy to Fremantle Port: Currently outside scope PFL project; Recognised need to address the river crossing and final road access to Fremantle Port; Planning underway to upgrade Canning Highway / Stirling Highway intersection to improve capacity; Upgrading Stirling Highway, including examining a duplication Stirling Bridge as part of the planning process an accepted long term planning aspiration. Questions (answered by Mark Hazebroek, unless stated otherwise): Q: Will the Fremantle Cemetery be affected; old plan 2D showed it was? A: No, the cemetery is not affected by current concept design for Section 2 but as a result of avoiding the cemetery, there could be direct impacts on 20 residential properties to north side of Leach Hwy. A number of questions about plans for north of river. A: Currently outside scope PFL project (see the last dot point in presentation above). Other questions were about what roads Outer Harbour container freight would use (A: Stock Road then right turn to new road.); what would stop trucks using other roads (A: Trucks would be penalised for taking other roads and would be tracked using GPS; the productivity gains associated with the faster, more predictable PFL route will offset the impact of a Heavy Vehicle Charge, meaning there is no incentive for trucks to avoid the route.); current congestion on Roe Hwy (A: It will be widened in the longer term.); whether getting more after-hours freight movements is on agenda (A: CLH said Port Botany is the only port to do it at present but new container park leases at Rous Head require the parks to open longer hours.); getting more containers on rail (A: CLH said Fremantle Port s 14% of containers on rail was best in Australia; each container was subsidised by government and there had been capital investment in the rail terminal); what local roads would benefit from less traffic (A: Putting trucks on roads built for them would free up others for cars, eg. North Lake Rd.); timeframe for changes north of Canning Hwy (A: Not funded yet so no timeframe.) 3

4 3. TRADE UPDATE Information provided by Chris Leatt-Hayter for financial year : Overall, trade growth 6.7% helped by bulk exports, including iron ore. Container trade growth 5.7%, a bit higher than expected, stronger export growth due to hay and grain exports and good Australian dollar. North Quay Berths 11 & 12 serviced barges to Gorgon. Break bulk and vehicles trades were down; third year of decline for vehicles trade. First couple of months of trade has been subdued; moderate growth expected this year. Dennis Claughton commented that with bigger container ships calling and turnaround times decreasing, the Flying Angel Club for Seafarers had been adversely affected financially. 4. PORT SALE Information provided by Chris Leatt-Hayter: Fremantle is the last mainland capital city port in Australia to be sold/leased or in the process of being sold. Currently in six-month due diligence phase; advisors appointed (Rothschild/ Deloitte and a team of others, including PwC, GHD, etc.) Policy issues are being looked at; Fremantle Ports staff heavily involved; 18 different workstreams. Questions: Implications for Commercial Precinct (A: An issue to be looked at.); will Outer Harbour container terminal be built sooner (A: Timing to be determined.). 5. COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AND CRUISE UPDATE Information provided by Jeanette Murray: Cruise update: season: $275 million into WA economy (101 visits to 9 ports); Fremantle $254.4 million visitor spend; highlight was successful turnaround of 8,000 passengers from 2 ships on same day season: 56 ship calls scheduled (up from 43 last year); new ships: Legend of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Pacific Eden. Community contribution: Sponsorship: Support being provided for Festival of Fremantle 2015, Little Penguin research; Staff Winter Appeal Sundowner in June for St Patrick s Community Care Centre provided new winter clothing and blankets; 2015 Workplace Giving Program (staff contributions matched by Fremantle Ports) will support Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation (DSF) of WA (will support almost 200 students in Fremantle Education District) and Homeless and Abused Animal Rescue Team Inc. (HAART). Victoria Quay news: B Shed ramp on south side now compliant with access requirements and 83 more parking bays have been provided on land purchased from Public Transport Authority north of Fremantle Train Station. Education support: Teacher from Warnbro Community High School provided with a day s industry experience with Recordkeeping Branch through the Kwinana Industry Council and students from the Gilmore Clontarf Academy visited, met with staff and toured the harbour on FP Response. Careers Day 28/10/15: 60 Year 9 students from local secondary schools; representatives from Svitzer, Challenger Institute of Technology - WA Maritime Training Centre, Total AMS, IFAP, Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation and Murdoch University involved; activities will include: speed careers workshop, an expert panel, knottying workshop, ship and vessel tours, Svitzer tug tour, Maritime Ship Simulator demonstration and ship-handling exercises, tour of the aquaculture fish-tank farm and hatchery (Challenger Institute), safety demonstrations and a diving and underwater diving and communications workshop. Fremantle Ports Maritime Day 2015 is on Saturday 31 October on Victoria Quay. Living our values: Port Services Officer Glen Delbridge found and returned a valuable 4

5 bracelet to a member of the public. She wrote to Fremantle Ports citing Our Values (from our website) saying Glen had demonstrated them and refused a reward. 6. LOSS MANAGEMENT Communication of significant incidents, complaints and improvements relating to Inner Harbour operations, and that may be of interest to Community Liaison Group members. Information provided by Gino Valenti for the period June - August 2015: Incident 3/8/15: Fremantle Ports Traffic Management Coordinator observed smoke coming from boat lifters premises at Rous Head and initiated internal response prior to arrival of emergency services. Response: Trucks and staff were diverted to the Truck Marshalling Area via verbal instruction and VMS signage around the harbour. Containment booms were set up in Rous Head Harbour in case of harmful run-off. DFES extinguished fire in boat which was caused by welding operations. Damage restricted to boat and further water/ smoke damage to premises. Three employees suffered from smoke inhalation. Incident 25/7/15: Waste oil disposal contractor informed Security Centre of oil spill on wharf adjacent to cruise ship while discharging from the ship to the tanker truck. Absorbent material had been applied to the spill, but more required. Response: Port Services Officer attended and applied additional absorbent material. Observed spill of approximately 10 litres over an area of 5 square metres. No spillage to harbour. Incident 21/7/15: Truck rollover on Walter Place/Curtin Avenue bend caused traffic disruption for most of afternoon while recovery operations were undertaken. Response: Fremantle Ports Traffic Management Coordinator assisted Police with traffic management and used VMS to provide advice to road users. Driver was trapped in prime mover for some time prior to being evacuated through roof. Mobile cranes sourced to recover vehicle. Load shift in container believed to be cause of the incident. Complaint 30/6/15: Complainant who parked in delivery bay on south side of E Shed near middle of shed complained that he had received a parking fine. Said he had been parking there for 9 years and had never received a fine. He was not making a delivery but having dinner with his family. He said there was no signage telling him to pay for parking or advising of time limits. Response: Explained that parking had to be paid for if he was not making a delivery. Said I would walk there and look at signage and ring him back. Took photos of signage that showed there were 2 signs saying "Loading Zone Goods Vehicles 15 minute limit" and painted on the delivery bays were "Delivery vehicles only". The delivery bays are next to a ticket machine with further signage about paying for parking. Rang complainant back and explained this. 7. GENERAL BUSINESS Additional agenda items: Cr Jon Strachan: Comment on Wilson Parking at Victoria Quay: City of Fremantle has been receiving complaints about the aggressive and bullying attitude of Wilson Parking inspectors at Victoria Quay; some people think the inspectors are working for the City of Fremantle so the situation is reflecting badly on the City. He believed that the Mayor/CEO was intending to discuss this with Fremantle Ports as part of their regular liaison meetings. Response: Chris said that if complaints could be referred to Fremantle Ports they would be discussed with Wilson Parking. David Hawks: Did Fremantle Ports make a submission about Sunset Events holding concert events at J Shed? Response: Yes, Fremantle Ports made a submission, mostly about parking 5

6 and possible adverse effects on surrounding tenants. Conclusion: Meeting concluded at 6.32pm. Next meeting: 5pm Tuesday 1 st December 2015, Fremantle Ports Administration Building. 6