Australian Institute of Landscape Architects WA Chapter Position Statement

Perth Freight Link Port to Kewdale Industrial Area

February 2015

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Introduction AILA is the professional body for Landscape Architects in Australia. Our professional code of conduct requires members to recognise and protect the cultural, ecological and historical values when working on any design or planning proposal for built and natural landscapes. Our vision statement is for ‘resilient, engaging and healthy urban regional and rural environments, designed in balance with nature and cultural systems.’1 This paper outlines the Institutes2 evaluation and review of the (PFL) in accordance with the aforementioned values. It also uses the Institute’s policies, namely ‘Transport Infrastructure’, ‘Integrated Design’, ‘Green Infrastructure’, ‘Sustainable Settlements’ and ‘Drivers for Change: Climate Change and the AILA’ to support this response.

The PFL is a strategic infrastructure project initiative by both the Federal and State Governments which was recently allocated 1.6 billion dollars’ worth of funding in the May 2014 Federal budget.3 It is a strategic project that seeks to connect Perth’s port of Fremantle to Kewdale Industrial Area in a more direct and efficient way for large freight vehicles. The project boasts numerous benefits including economic efficiencies, reduced noise impacts on residential areas and increase in freight transport efficiency. This position paper questions some of those benefits, particularly when viewed holistically with environmental and cultural values which are likely to be adversely impacted. The final scope and design is to be determined in consultation with the Western Australian community, industry investors and the State Government.

The current proposal for the PFL has substantial impacts on a number of recreational reserves especially the Beeliar Regional Park and will severely compromise the amenity and ease of circulation (pedestrian, vehicular and cycle) of local communities. This position paper focuses on two components of the concept design, namely the High Street/ upgrade and the Extension.

Project Overview The PFL proposal aims to improve freight access between the Fremantle Port and the Kewdale Industrial Area by linking a number of new and existing road infrastructure projects conducted in separate stages. These include; 1. High Street/Leach Highway upgrade (currently awaiting Environmental and Planning approvals) 2. Widening (in design phase) 3. Roe Highway Extension (currently awaiting approval from the Minister of Environment) 4. Gateway WA (currently under construction)

1 http://www.aila.org.au/about/ (accessed July 7 2014) 2 In this instance ‘the institute’ is used to represent the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) (WA) Chapter. 3 Overview of the project is available from Main Roads WA website (https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/Projects/UrbanProjects/Pages/Perth‐Freight‐Link.aspx) (accessed July 7 2014) Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Figure 1. The Proposed Perth Freight Link

The PFL will upgrade several roads to become a controlled access four lane dual carriageway highway with graded separated interchanges at Winterfold Road, Leach Highway, Carrington Street, High Street, South Street, Garling Street and Marmion Street.4 It will be jointly funded by the Australian Government and Western Australian State Government in partnership with a private sector co‐contributor and will be the State’s first implemented “heavy vehicle user charge”. 5

This position paper responds to items one, the High Street/Leach Highway upgrade and three, the Roe Highway Extension of the PFL proposal. Recent concerns have been raised in the media over the proposal and include:

 The impact of the toll charge leading to some road freight operators avoiding this route thus leading to congestion on local roads;  the increase of freight along this route and the impact on road safety and local residential amenity;  The lack of consideration given to North Fremantle and the Fremantle Stirling Bridge as the issues of congestion and safety will still remain 6;  Impacts on the wetland species of (namely North Lake and Bibra Lake habitats);  Impacts on Registered Aboriginal Sites7 listed with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs; and  Negative impacts on the visual quality of important natural and residential areas due to the construction of road infrastructure including raised fly over bridges as part of the graded separated interchanges along the PFL.

4 Main Roads WA website (https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/Projects/UrbanProjects/Pages/Perth‐Freight‐ Link.aspx#.U89yA_mSx8E) (accessed July 22 2014) 5 Jamie Briggs (assistant federal minister for infrastructure and regional development) ‐ Federal Member for Mayo Article ‘Op‐Ed‐ Freight link a crucial investment in Perth’s future.’ (22 May 2014) (accessed July 22 2014) 6 Guardian article by Brendan Foster ‘Perth airport to Fremantle port link obscene waste of money, say critics’ (May 10 2014)(accessed July 7 2014) 7 South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Media Release 16 July 2010 Nyoongar community steadfastly opposed to the Roe Highway Extension(accessed July 7 2014) Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 PFL Item 1: High Street/Leach Highway upgrade This portion of the Perth Freight link proposal has been identified as an alternative solution to the now abandoned proposal8. There is a consensus within the local community and City of Fremantle9 that this intersection needs to be upgraded to address improved safety, noise and congestion. However, the current proposal consisting of a four lane dual carriageway within a six lane road reserve, significantly impacts on a number of environmental, cultural heritage and community amenity values which are identified in subsequent paragraphs.

Figure 2:Current High Street Upgrade (western portion)

8 Fremantle Eastern Bypass proposal 2011. See http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/publications/842.asp 9 ‘High Street Upgrade Report’ within the City of Fremantle’s Ordinary Meeting of Council Minutes 26 March 2014 (accessed 22 July 2014) and Herald Newspaper Article ‘ When a Road becomes a Freeway’ June 20 2014 (accessed 28 July 2014) Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Figure 3: Current High Street Upgrade (central portion)

Figure 4: Current High Street Upgrade (eastern portion).

This section of the PFL has undergone many years of community consultation. The current design proposal incorporates a 240m curve radius (see figures 2, 3 and 4) between and High Street (which will become Leach Hwy under this project), ‘amenity’ walls flanking both sides of the road, a reconfigured Royal Fremantle Golf Course access off Carrington Street, a north/south pedestrian and bicycle overpass, formalised car parking for Frank Gibson Park (netball) and a restricted 60km speed limit.

This upgrade will look to remove up to 36,000sqm of land along this 1.5km stretch of road, much of which is A and C Class Reserves associated with the Royal Fremantle Golf Course and City of Fremantle's Public Golf

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Course respectively and will result in the loss of a number of significant habitat trees.10 Along with impacting these two valuable recreational amenities, the Fremantle Environment Resource Network (FERN) will be forced to relocate from its well established location on the corner of High Street and Montreal Street. FERN is a not for profit community facility offering a range of community services/ facilities from workshops, community garden, bicycle recycle initiative and donation based soup kitchen.11 The road upgrade will also lead to the removal of up to ten residential properties, some of which are on the City of Fremantle's Local Planning Scheme Heritage List.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads Western Australia have produced traffic modeling data12 that supports the planning for a six lane highway by 2031. This is to ‘future proof’ the project for the projected increase in capacity of the Fremantle Port and Kewdale Industrial Area. The Institute supports the integrated planning of road and rail transport, however believes this proposal does not adequately explore the possibility of rail freight transport (in replacement of road) to its best capacity. Integrated planning also ensures that there is not simply a transfer of one issue from a road to rail corridor. Further, a large six lane highway in this area of Fremantle is contrary and detrimental to the existing built and natural landscape values of this suburb.

The City of Fremantle, following a Council Chamber’s Meeting in March 201413, stated that the project was not in the best interests of the area and could not support the proposal. The City voted for an alternative “Option 4A” (Figure 5 below) proposal which maintained the four lane road reserve, had a designated bicycle corridor, a tighter 150m curve radius and a posted speed of 50km/hr. This more modest option is supported by the Institute as it balances the road users’ needs with local community, ecological and heritage values.

Figure 5: Option 4A High Street Alternative Road Corridor Alignment

PFL Item 3: Roe Highway Extension

This five kilometre, four lane dual carriageway extension proposes to cut through Beeliar Regional Park between Bibra Lake and North Lake. Currently, the reserve is listed under a number of Local, State, Commonwealth Government and International protections and conventions. The most significant are: International protections and conventions  Japan Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (JAMBA)  South Korea Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (ROKAMBA)  Commission China Australia Migratory Birds Agreement (CAMBA)  The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention)

10 Herald Fremantle Newspaper Article ‘Pretty Pick Protest’ May 12 2014 (accessed 28 July 2014) 11 FERN website (http://fern.org.au/) (accessed 22 July 2014) 12 ‘High Street Upgrade Report’ within the City of Fremantle’s Ordinary Meeting of Council Minutes 26 March 2014 (accessed 22 July 2014) 13 ‘High Street Upgrade Report’ within the City of Fremantle’s Ordinary Meeting of Council Minutes 26 March 2014 (accessed 22 July 2014 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Commonwealth Government protections and conventions  Interim Register of the National Estate of the Australian Government Heritage State Government protections and conventions  Class A Reserve under the Land Administration Act 1997  State Planning Policy 2.8 Bushland Policy for the Perth Metropolitan Region (Bush Forever Site) under the Metropolitan Regional Scheme  Conservation Category Wetlands (CCW) and the Environment Protected Policy (EPP) under the Environmental Protection Act 198614

Figure 6: Proposed alignment of Roe Highway Extension sourced from Public Environmental Review document

14 Beeliar Regional Park Draft Management Plan 2001‐2011 and Urban Bushland Council WA Inc. website (www.bushlandperth.org.au) (accessed 22 July 2014) Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 Figure 7. – CCW and Lakes EPP Boundaries Plan

The Roe Highway extension proposes to remove 79.3Ha of remnant native vegetation, the majority of which is important foraging habitat for the Carnaby Cockatoo and Forest Red Tailed Black Cockatoo. The Carnaby Cockatoo is currently listed as ‘endangered’ within the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Specially Protected Fauna listed within Western Australia’s Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. The Forest Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the State Wildlife Conservation Act 1950)15 The proposal includes the clearing of 249 significant mature trees which will also threaten a number of rare and endangered flora and fauna species, including Baudin’s Cockatoo, Graceful Sun‐ moth, Chuditch, Red‐tailed Phascogale, King Spider Orchid, Muchea Bell and Beaked Lepidosperma, White– Bellied Sea‐Eagle, Rainbow Bee‐Eater, Great and Cattle Egrets and Fork‐Tailed Swift.

Through the project's environmental planning and consultation process, the proposal has made efforts to minimise the environmental impacts through a number of mitigation measures. These include:  native re‐vegetation along the new road reserve;  rehabilitation of portions of the Beeliar Regional Park;  provision of a number of fauna underpasses;  bridges over important wetland areas to minimise interruption to surface and potential subsurface flows and assist in maintaining ecological linkages; and  bio‐retention basins to treat road runoff and provide recharge to local wetlands via groundwater recharge.

The Institute recognises the attempt to minimise the environmental impacts; however there are still valid concerns over; water, air, noise and light pollution, the loss of habitat and the impact on protected species populations, ecological fragmentation, weed invasion, impact on shading and the effectiveness of fauna underpasses. The Institute recommends that further assessment of these values and their protection is taken in consideration in all future planning of the PFL.

The Beeliar Regional Park holds significant historical and environmental values to the local Aboriginal community. It is the Institute’s opinion that these values will be greatly affected and not adequately catered for if this proposal goes ahead. There are numerous Registered Aboriginal Sites within or immediately adjacent to the reserve, which were important camping, ceremonial areas and sources of food. These were identified by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and are protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972, the Native Title Act 1998 and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Heritage Protection Act 1984.16 The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC)17 is the native title representative body of the Nyoongar people, who are the traditional owners of the south west of Australia. After extensive consultation, the Nyoongar community opposes the Roe Highway extension proposal as it will detrimentally impact on a number of critical heritage areas and adversely affect others.

15 Department of Environment website (www.environment.gov.au) (accessed 28 July 2014) 16 Beeliar Regional Park Draft Management Plan 2001‐2011 (accessed 22 July 2014) 17 South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Website (www.noongar.org.au) (accessed 22 July 2014)

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015

Figure 8. Extracted Plan and Legend ‐ Aboriginal Heritage Sites and Environmental Values Plan

As Landscape Architects we believe consideration must be given to the impact this proposal has on the local communities connection to Beeliar Regional Park and, their, connection to the natural landscapes and recreation experiences and opportunities currently offered in the park.

The Institute’s National Policy Statements on Public Open Spaces and Health and Urban Spaces18 highlights the importance of public spaces and its effect on community and user wellbeing. As detailed in the Visual Impact Assessment, there will be a number of moderate adverse residual visual impacts from key viewpoints at night and during the day due to a number of noise barriers and road bridges19.

The Institute concludes that the impacts to landscape, environmental, cultural and community values for this infrastructure project will be adverse and requests consideration for further planning to be undertaken, including the investigation of alternative solutions.

18 www.aila.org.au/policies (accessed 22 July 2014) 19 Public Environmental Review Document located on the South Metro Connect Website (www.southmetroconnect.com.au) (accessed 22 July 2014)

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015

Plan 8: Zone of Theoretical visibility of the Preferred Alignment

Conclusion The Institute believes the Perth Freight Link proposal in its current form has significant implications for the established communities, local cultural heritage and important ecological environments found in Perth's southern suburbs. It conflicts with a number of AILA’s policies namely; ‘Transport infrastructure’, Health and Urban Spaces’ ‘Integrated Design’, ‘Green Infrastructure’, ‘Sustainable Settlements’ and ‘Drivers for Change: Climate Change and the AILA’.

There have been numerous independent studies undertaken looking at the road and rail freight network across Perth since the 1960’s with a variety of tabled options20. A key document; Statement of Planning Policy: Metropolitan Freight Network (drafted in 2005) highlighted the following objectives, in conjunction with the above proposal: 1. put more freight onto rail (15% of containers to/from Fremantle port by rail by 2006 and 30% by 2013) by upgrading linkages); 2. build inland container terminals; 3. make better use of existing roads (better scheduling, backloading and a truck booking system at the port); and 4. plan for the Outer Harbour at Kwinana.

The Institute supports the need to further investigate these alternative options as they could prove to be environmentally and economically sustainable if considered as part of a more integrated transport planning approach to Perth and Western Australia's freight arrangements. Further, the Institute welcomes a more considered approach to items 1 and 3 of the PFL. In this, we mean an approach that highlights and mitigates any overt damage or removal of the built heritage, environmental systems and cultural values embedded in the landscape at these two sites.

20 https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Roe%20Highway%20Extension%20Strategic%20Review%20‐ %20Final%20Report%20with%20appendices%20‐%20Web%20version.u_2726386r_1n_D10%5E2385224.PDF (Accessed 8 Sept 2014) Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015 List of figures:

Figure 1. Perth Freight Link https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/wa/a/23381443/budget‐1‐6b‐freight‐link‐plan/ (accessed 7 July 2014) Figure 2 ‐4. https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Leach%20Hwy%20(High%20Street)%20Fremantle%20Upgrade%20Project%20‐ %20Conceptual%20Images.RCN‐D14%5E23148082.PDF (accessed 7 July 2014) Figure 5. Adele Carles website ‘Current Status of High Street Upgrade’ May 25 2011 (http://adelecarles.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/current‐status‐of‐high‐street‐upgrade/) (accessed 22 July 2014) Figure 6‐10. Public Environmental Review Document located on the South Metro Connect Website (www.southmetroconnect.com.au) (accessed 22 July 2014)

Important Reference Documents

1. Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development – Media Release ‐ “Getting On with Delivering Perth's Freight Link” 2. Save Beeliar Wetlands Website (www.savebeeliarwetlands.com) 3. Save North Lake Website (www.savenorthlake.com.au) 4. Road to Rail Website (freoroad2rail.org) 5. http://www.aila.org.au/policies/docs/infrastructure‐transport.pdf National Policy Statement ‐ Transport Infrastructure AILA

Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Chapter | Perth Freight Link | Position Paper February 2015