Canberra Light Rail – Commonwealth Park to Woden

CANBERRA LIGHT RAIL – COMMONWEALTH PARK TO WODEN

Preliminary Environmental Assessment

18310
Canberra Light Rail – Commonwealth Park to
Woden
1.0
2 July 2019

www.rpsgroup.com

PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Document Status

Version

Review

date

Purpose of document

Authored by

Reviewed by

Approved by

123

Final

Belinda Bock

Angus King

Gareth Thomas

2 July 2019

Approval for issue

Gareth Thomas

2 July 2019

pp

This report was prepared by RPS Manidis Roberts Pty Ltd (‘RPS’) within the terms of its engagement and in direct

response to a scope of services. This report is strictly limited to the purpose and the facts and matters stated in it and does not apply directly or indirectly and must not be used for any other application, purpose, use or matter. In preparing the report, RPS may have relied upon information provided to it at the time by other parties. RPS accepts no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of information provided by those parties at the time of preparing the report. The report does not take into account any changes in information that may have occurred since the publication of the report. If the information relied upon is subsequently determined to be false, inaccurate or incomplete then it is possible that the observations and conclusions expressed in the report may have changed. RPS does not warrant the contents of this report and shall not assume any responsibility or liability for loss whatsoever to any third party caused by, related to or arising out of any use or reliance on the report howsoever. No part of this report, its attachments or appendices may be reproduced by any process without the written consent of RPS. All enquiries should be directed to RPS.

Prepared by:

Prepared for:

RPS Manidis Roberts Pty Ltd

Major Projects Canberra

Angus King

Marcus Sainsbury

Senior Manager – Environment

Director Planning and Design

Canberra Light Rail – Commonwealth Park to Woden

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Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................6

1

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................9

STRATEGIC CONTEXT, OPTIONS AND BENEFITS ...............................................................15

Strategic planning context for the Project................................................................... 15

PLANNING AND LEGISLATION ...............................................................................................22 PROJECT DESCRIPTION..........................................................................................................32

Overview.................................................................................................................... 32 The Project ................................................................................................................ 34 Project timeframe....................................................................................................... 38

PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENT........................................................................................39

Overview.................................................................................................................... 39 Outcomes of risk assessment.................................................................................... 40

KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES..............................................................................................42

Aboriginal heritage..................................................................................................... 42 Historical Heritage ..................................................................................................... 47 Ecology...................................................................................................................... 55 Noise and vibration.................................................................................................... 57 Traffic and transport................................................................................................... 59 Urban design, landscape character and visual amenity ............................................. 62

OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS .....................................................................65

Property and land use................................................................................................ 65 Social and economic impacts..................................................................................... 67 Planted trees.............................................................................................................. 69 Surface water and flooding ........................................................................................ 77 Groundwater.............................................................................................................. 78 Contamination, soils and geology .............................................................................. 79 General Environmental Considerations...................................................................... 83 Other projects and development................................................................................ 85

EPBC REFERRAL......................................................................................................................87 CONCLUSION AND FURTHER ASSESSMENT.......................................................................88

3 4

5

5.1 5.2

6

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6

7

7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8

89REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................90 ACRONYMS................................................................................................................................................92

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Tables

Table 2.1: Key Australian Government plans relevant to the project..........................................................16 Table 2.2: Key ACT Govenment spatial plans ............................................................................................17 Table 2.3: Key ACT Government Infrastructure Plans................................................................................20 Table 2.4: Key ACT Govenment Transport Plans.......................................................................................20 Table 3.1: Recommendations from the Joint Standing Committee.............................................................29 Table 4.1: Proposed stop locations along the alignment ............................................................................35 Table 4.2: Operational features of the Project.............................................................................................37 Table 5.1: Summary of the ratings from the environmental risk assessment for each environmental

aspect

....................................................................................................................................................40

Table 5.2: Status of environmental aspects for Commonwealth Park to Woden light rail extension..........41 Table 6.1: Knowledge gaps: Aboriginal heritage.........................................................................................45 Table 6.2: Summary of listed historical heritage items and values located within or adjacent to the Study Area...................................................................................................................................................48 Table 6.4: Primary sources of noise............................................................................................................57 Table 7.1: Land uses along the Project alignment ......................................................................................65 Table 7.2: Demographic characteristics (ABS, 2017) .................................................................................67 Table 7.3: Recorded contaminates of potential concern located within 200 metres of the Project footprint ....................................................................................................................................................81 Table 7.4: Potential contamination sources, pathways and receptors........................................................82 Table 7.4: Committed, approved and proposed developments ..................................................................86 Table 9.1: Further actions required at next stage of environmental assessment .......................................88 Table 9.2: Risk assessment evaluation of likelihood...................................................................................94 Table 9.3: Risk assessment evaluating consequence ................................................................................94 Table 9.4: Risk assessment evaluating consequence ................................................................................95 Table 9.5: Risk assessment matrix..............................................................................................................96 Table 9.6: Risk Assessment for environmental events ...............................................................................97

Figures

Figure 1.1: Planned light rail network ..........................................................................................................12 Figure 3.1: Controlling provisions along the alignment ..............................................................................23 Figure 3.2: Relationship of the Approval Process in Commonwealth and Territory entities .......................24 Figure 3.3: Summary of the Environmental Assessment process under the EPBC Act and P&D Act. ......25 Figure 3.4: Location of Designated Areas Source ACTMAPI .....................................................................27 Figure 3.5: The Project’s Commonwealth planning and environmental approvals processes ...................28 Figure 4.1: Commonwealth Park to Woden light rail Study Area................................................................33 Figure 6.1: Identified Aboriginal heritage sites associated with the Study Area .........................................44

Figure 6.2: Registered historical heritage items associated with the Study Area (State Circle

section). ....................................................................................................................................................50

Figure 6.3: Registered historical heritage items associated with the Study Area (Royal Mint

section). ....................................................................................................................................................51

Figure 6.4: Registered historical heritage items associated with the Study Area (Woden section)............52 Figure 6.5: Additional heritage items for consideration for the Project .......................................................53

Figure 7.1: Bushfire prone areas along the alignment ................................................................................85

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Appendices

Preliminary Risk Assessment

Page v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

Canberra’s population is currently growing at an annual rate of 1.3 per cent and is projected to reach 703,000 in 2058 (ACT Government, 2019); a 70 per cent increase over 40-years. It is also predicted that the number of visitors to the city will increase with the addition of new international flights and global recognition as a tourist destination.

The 2017, ACT Household Travel Survey showed that 7.5 million kilometres were travelled each weekday by private vehicles, representing an average of 18.2 kilometres per person each day (ACT household travel survey, 2017). This, combined with the growing population, will mean more cars on the roads and more congestion (Transport Canberra, Keeping Canberra Moving, 2016). Infrastructure Australia reports in Our Infrastructure Challenges (2015) that this congestion would burden the economy with a forecasted cost of about $700 million by 2031 compared to the $208 million it cost in 2011, which is over a threefold increase in costs over 20-years. The Infrastructure Australia report also predicts public transport demand will nearly double.

Currently, most of Canberra’s residents drive to work as this is a more convenient option than using the

existing public transport infrastructure, which until, 2019 was limited to buses. In 2019, this was supplemented with the opening of the City to Gungahlin light rail.

This Project is to develop the light rail from Commonwealth Park to Woden light rail (the Project). It would connect into the City to Commonwealth Park light rail, which is being progressed under its own contract. These two projects are part of the plan to build a series of Projects across Canberra to form a light rail network.

This PEA covers the Project corridor from the proposed Commonwealth Park stop (north of Lake Burley

Griffin) to the proposed terminus at Woden (in Canberra’s south western suburbs). It comprises a nine

new-stop light rail extending over nine kilometres. It would connect with the City to Commonwealth Park light rail at Albert Street on Commonwealth Avenue. The proposed route would cross the lake on a new bridge (final design to be confirmed) and then run in the median (middle) of Commonwealth Avenue to State Circle, where it would run around the eastern side of Capital Hill, following the internal side of State Circle, to Adelaide Avenue. It would then run to Woden in the median of Adelaide Avenue and Yarra Glen with a terminus at Callam Street.

Purpose of this preliminary environmental assessment

This preliminary environmental assessment (PEA) identifies potential environmental issues that may result from constructing and operating the Project. The PEA addresses all environmental impacts including impacts to matters of national environmental significance (MNES) and Commonwealth land values.

It has been prepared to assist:

•

the Australian Minister for the Environment of the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy to determine whether the Project is a controlled action under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the appropriate method for assessing the environmental impacts.

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•

the ACT Minister for Planning to define the scope of environment assessment needed to support a development application made under the corresponding Planning and Development Act 2007 (P&D Act).

Key features of the Project

Key features of the Project include:

•

a light rail extending nine kilometres south that includes nine stops between Commonwealth Park and Woden;

•••••

landscaping features sympathetic with Canberra’s design as envisioned by the Griffins’; integration with the wider public transport network, including access improvements to bus services; road network alterations to accommodate the Project; dedicated traction power substations to provide electricity for the Project; combined services routes to the traction power substation noting that this would be under-bored (e.g. it would have no surface impact other than at the entry and exit points); and

•

track infrastructure, including overhead wiring in some sections.

Key environmental aspects identified by the assessment

Key aspects (topics) of value and interest along the alignment identified by the assessment include:

••••••

Aboriginal heritage historical heritage traffic and transport biodiversity noise and vibration urban design, landscape character and visual amenity.

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Specialists assessments have been carried out to assess the significance of the impact on the heritage and biodiversity values protected as matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act to support the referral made to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment. This are appended separately to the referral and referenced throughout this document.

Next steps

The next steps in the approval process are:

••

a referral will be made under the EPBC Act. This PEA will be provided as a supporting document for the referral;

following Major Projects Canberra (MPC), formally Transport Canberra City Services (TCCS) application for an EIS scoping document, the ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACT PLA) will consult with relevant entities to prepare the EIS scoping document;

•••

the Department of the Environment and Energy (DoEE) will determine whether the Project is a controlled action and the appropriate assessment approach, which is likely to be an environmental impact statement;

DoEE will prepare and issue assessment guidelines for the Project in collaboration with ACT PLA, who will provide its scoping document (assessment) requirements, and the National Capital Authority (NCA) to ensure consistency (refer to Section 3);

MPC will prepare a draft EIS covering off all requirements from all authorities. This will be submitted for public exhibition

••

MPC will consider the submissions to prepare a final EIS for the Project; ACT PLA will prepare an EIS Assessment Report and the relevant ACT Minister will make their determination on the assessment;

•

DoEE will prepare its Recommendation Report for the Australian Minister for the Environment to decide whether to approve the proposed action;

•

DoEE and ACT PLA will issue a final decision on the proposed action.
Note: a separate Works Approval will be needed for the locations of the Project taking place in Designated Areas.