The City of Gosnells has launched a survey to gauge community perception on safety and crime. Our Association raised this issue more than two years ago and pushed very hard to hold a "Crime Forum". After many hurdles, we finally got one, but were told that all our concerns weren't valid as crime rates were falling.
Here is an opportunity to provide your comment, without the spin of the City of Gosnells or the Government departments. Encourage all your friends to complete the survey as well. We have an opportunity to encourage our community leaders to take the necessary steps forward to provide long term solutions to the problems and offer support to victims of crime.
If the current programs aren't working, its time for new ideas.
PERCEPTION OF SAFETY AND CRIME WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY
The City of Gosnells Community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan is being reviewed to identify the ongoing community safety and crime prevention priorities to be addressed. The plan will have input from many government agencies, community groups and feedback from the community itself.
The City of Gosnells has 11 suburbs:
Beckenham Canning Vale Gosnells Huntingdale Kenwick
Langford Maddington Martin Orange Grove Southern River Thornlie
The City would like to know what you think the issues in your community are, and what you consider to be the highest priority in your area.
The survey can be found here.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Toxic asphalt plants built next to homes - Perthnow article 02/03/09
March 02, 2009 01:06pm
PLANS are being made for an asphalt plant just 100m from Maddington homes, despite Baldivis residents preparing to flee from a similar site built illegally last September.
The Maddington plant would be just 850m from East Kenwick Primary School.
Road construction company Downer EDi Works is waiting on the Department of Environment and Conservation to approve a building application.
Like the Baldivis site, which is 100m from the nearest residential property, the proposal cuts across environmental guidelines that recommend asphalt plants must be a full kilometre from homes.
The plant, 41km south of Perth, was built without government approval. It was fired up this week after a retrospective planning licence was granted.
The plant is needed to provide bitumen for the Perth to Bunbury Highway over the next nine months.
But residents say they are choking on diesel fumes that cause headaches, sore throats and stinging eyes.
The plant operator, the Southern Gateway Alliance, has offered to relocate affected families.
Residents say that while a relocation plan will provide temporary relief, they will have to return to contaminated land and water tanks.
Concerned Maddington residents have appealed to Environment Minister Donna Faragher to formally assess Downer EDi Works's application rather than leaving it in the hands of the DEC.
A spokesman for Maddington community group, Bickley Ward Progress and Ratepayers Association David Munut said the DEC had failed the people of Baldivis.
"The Maddington proposal has the capacity to adversely affect our air quality, and our quality of life,'' Mr Munut said.
"Unfortunately, recent events in Baldivis do not provide any confidence that our community will be looked after.''
"Anything less than a formal EPA assessment isn't only just an insult to our community, it's just blatantly stupid,'' he said.
The DEC maintain the Baldivis plant is safe.
In a statement it said: "The DEC only issued the works approval after it was satisfied that the environmental impact from the plant would be acceptable, as determined by odour modelling and air dispersion modelling.''
Baldivis plant operators, the Southern Gateway Alliance, were not fined or penalised for constructing their plant without government approval, the WA Planning Commission (WAPC) said.
City of Rockingham major Barry Sammels said he has written to the WAPC criticising their handling of the matter.
Dr Talbot says Environment Minister Donna Faragher has the power to move the Baldivis plant away from housing. She said she will be raising the issue in Parliament next month.
Residents say they will be pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into the matter.
Downer EDi did not return calls from The Sunday Times.
mailto:towien@sundaytimes.newsltd.com.au
Perthnow story link here.
Homes hit by fumes
The Sunday Times carried an article yesterday (1/3/09) that included information about the proposed asphalt plant in Maddington. Pertinent quotes from the article include “the proposal cuts across environmental guidelines that recommend asphalt plants must be a full kilometre from homes” and that the proposal is only 850 metres from East Kenwick Primary School.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Baldivis Asphalt Plant on ACA
On Wednesday 25th Feb 2009, A Current Affair covered the Asphalt Plant in Baldivis and the problems that surround it.
The plant, which even though it has already been built and has operated, only received planning approval from the WA Planning Commission last week.
Prominent Environmental and Toxicological expert, Dr Peter Dingle, commented that “the concerns I have, so once we’ve got those concerns about trusting companies and trusting Governments out of the way, the next issue is: Is the Plant Toxic ? and the answer is, Yes it is !” Following on from that, Dr Dingle described some of the possible toxic concerns as “and it’s going to be producing dozens of carcinogens, chemicals that cause cancer, no doubt about that”.
The Department of Environment and Conservation have apparently committed to monitoring the plants emission during operation. If history is any guide to what this monitoring will consist of, it may be something like sniffing the air from an upwind position.
The Baldivis plant will operate for the next ten months or so, which is a travesty for the local residents. The proposed plant for Maddington is permanent.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Proposed Bitumen Plant for Maddington / Kenwick
In December 2008, our Association became aware of this proposal for a 12,000 tonnes per annum bitumen emulsion plant. Our Association has a long standing concern over any proposals for the Maddington Industrial Area, particularly ones that have a capacity to affect the air quality in the region. We already have situations where odours and noise from existing facilities are impacting residents, and the addition of another facility is not prudent until it is fully assessed, and meets the expectations of the community.
The Association has referred this proposal to the EPA, who declined to assess the proposal. We are appealing this decision, as we feel that the proposal needs the required scrutiny of a very thorough assessment of its potential impacts before we allow it
into our community. The concerns that the Association currently have with this proposal are as follows:
1. Buffer Distances – The EPA’s Guidance Note on Separation Distances between Industrial and Sensitive Land Uses for an “Asphalt Plant” (which blends hot bitumen with aggregate) is 1000 metres. This proposal is within 100 metres of the nearest sensitive land uses (your homes). They argue that this is a bitumen emulsion plant (which blends hot bitumen, solvents, chemicals, water etc) which is not listed in the Guidance Note. If it handles hot bitumen, it’s an asphalt plant. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck !
2. Environmental Impacts – We have concerns that the proposed plant will adversely impact the air quality in the area. This deterioration will be a result of releases of a range of bitumen related chemicals and their associated odour. Do not be fooled, as our Department of Environment would like you to believe, that an odour is not hazardous. We also have concerns on the cumulative impact of the bitumen plant and other odour sources in the area (poultry farms). This facility also proposes to release stormwater and wastewater into Bickley Brook, which is already degraded.
3. Similar Proposals – You may have read recently about a bitumen plant in Baldivis, which is 300 metres from residential homes, built without planning consent, given the go ahead by the Department of Environment, and is making life unbearable for local residents who are affected by the chemical odours, which caused headaches, burning throats, and caused their eyes to sting and water. We do not want this sort of problem in Maddington.
4. Current Environmental Performance – It would appear that the current site already has issues with the generation of odour from their wastewater handling system, and they have also caused a spill of hydrocarbons into Bickley Brook that required a clean-up of the area.
5. Inadequate Community Consultation – We also have concerns over the current level of advice and consultation that has occurred. A vague letter from the City of Gosnells, and a vague letter from the proponent, are not adequate, and are quite insulting.
Our Association is committed to stopping this proposal until it is proven that it will add to the value of our community, without poisoning the few that have to live with the impacts. Talk to your neighbours about this proposal and anyone that you think may have similar concerns.
The Association has referred this proposal to the EPA, who declined to assess the proposal. We are appealing this decision, as we feel that the proposal needs the required scrutiny of a very thorough assessment of its potential impacts before we allow it
into our community. The concerns that the Association currently have with this proposal are as follows:
1. Buffer Distances – The EPA’s Guidance Note on Separation Distances between Industrial and Sensitive Land Uses for an “Asphalt Plant” (which blends hot bitumen with aggregate) is 1000 metres. This proposal is within 100 metres of the nearest sensitive land uses (your homes). They argue that this is a bitumen emulsion plant (which blends hot bitumen, solvents, chemicals, water etc) which is not listed in the Guidance Note. If it handles hot bitumen, it’s an asphalt plant. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck !
2. Environmental Impacts – We have concerns that the proposed plant will adversely impact the air quality in the area. This deterioration will be a result of releases of a range of bitumen related chemicals and their associated odour. Do not be fooled, as our Department of Environment would like you to believe, that an odour is not hazardous. We also have concerns on the cumulative impact of the bitumen plant and other odour sources in the area (poultry farms). This facility also proposes to release stormwater and wastewater into Bickley Brook, which is already degraded.
3. Similar Proposals – You may have read recently about a bitumen plant in Baldivis, which is 300 metres from residential homes, built without planning consent, given the go ahead by the Department of Environment, and is making life unbearable for local residents who are affected by the chemical odours, which caused headaches, burning throats, and caused their eyes to sting and water. We do not want this sort of problem in Maddington.
4. Current Environmental Performance – It would appear that the current site already has issues with the generation of odour from their wastewater handling system, and they have also caused a spill of hydrocarbons into Bickley Brook that required a clean-up of the area.
5. Inadequate Community Consultation – We also have concerns over the current level of advice and consultation that has occurred. A vague letter from the City of Gosnells, and a vague letter from the proponent, are not adequate, and are quite insulting.
Our Association is committed to stopping this proposal until it is proven that it will add to the value of our community, without poisoning the few that have to live with the impacts. Talk to your neighbours about this proposal and anyone that you think may have similar concerns.
Active communities get results, passive communities get poisoned.
Contact Details:
David Munut
0417 174 849
email: bickley.ward@gmail.com
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Welcome
This is the first post to the new blog of the Bickley Ward Progress and Ratepayers Association. Hopefully we will be able to provide you with information about what is happening in your local community, and if required, we can act on your behalf.
If you need to contact the Association, here are some useful contact details.
President:
Sandra Baraiolo
Mobile: 0412 500 553
Secretary:
David Munut
Mobile: 0417 174 849
Email: bickley.ward@gmail.com
If you need to contact the Association, here are some useful contact details.
President:
Sandra Baraiolo
Mobile: 0412 500 553
Secretary:
David Munut
Mobile: 0417 174 849
Email: bickley.ward@gmail.com
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