Page 1 of 271 ATTACHMENT A: SCHEDULE OF SUBMISSIONS ON DRAFT LOCAL PLANNING STRATEGY (2011) Submissions Received from Public Ref Name & Address Verbatim Submission Planning Services Comment No. Details P1 Pamela Harman I wish to object to the diabolical planning proposal suggested by the LPS for Denmark. Noted – refer comments and associated recommendations in PO Box 39 One could safely say that people living along the proposed routes do so because of a Officer’s Report titled Proposed East-West Link Road. DENMARK WA 6333 lifestyle choice, for themselves, for their children, for their pets and livestock. If they wish to live alongside what will become a heavy haulage by-pass road, they would have done so. Ratepayers living along the proposed route have invested their savings to build a haven for themselves and done so in the knowledge that this lifestyle would be protected by good planning decisions by council. Not only is the proposed route planned with apparently no concept as to the terrain being traversed but no comprehension has been given to the gigantic environmental damage which will occur supposedly in the name of progress! One hears all the time of councils taking people to task for the removal of undergrowth alongside road verges or river systems, heavy fines being issued for those who do destroy bushland and yet council, intends to construct some monolith of a highway which will not only destroy magnificent old growth forest of many species but create a zone of ongoing pollution alongside the Denmark River which runs beside the East River Road. Accumulation of diesel fuels running off the bitumen road and drainage culverts, directly into the river will create dire consequences for not only the river but the already fragile Wilson’s Inlet. The topography has been ignored, the route, passing through scenic drives disregarded, the devastating impact upon the environment blindly overlooked. My family property, on which we have lived for forty years, was for almost twenty years a wildlife recovery and rescue centre for native animals and birds. The south western boundary of our land which will border the new heavy haulage by-pass road has never been developed and remains a forested area abutting the Denmark River. It is an established colony for Brushtail Possums, Bandicoots, Kangaroos and a huge variety of birdlife and acts as a corridor for these creatures. What impact will heavy haulage trucks have on this sanctuary – total annihilation over a short period of time. The toll on not only landowners living in the direct path of the route will be monumental, many people living in the vicinity of East River Road, myself included, walk pets into town following the East River Road down to the river path and into town. I am not creating a carbon footprint by starting up my diesel four wheel drive just to Page 2 of 271 collect my mail or shopping, how much walking will I do when I am confronted by heavy vehicles (or any increase in traffic) bearing down on me. I also ride my bike along this route that will also end because it will be ‘safer’ to use my large car! I have noticed that many people from town use the trail as a walking or cycling circuit, I can imagine that this will cease for the majority because the reason to get out into the open air and enjoy what Denmark and its lovely river have to offer, will be destroyed the minute construction starts on the Shire’s latest folly. The impact on a school which is close to the proposed route will be devastating and extremely perilous to the young children going to and from school – what price is put on a young life? We have a thriving tourism industry, this has been created by forward thinking people who saw what the town and the countryside has to offer. When other established industries such as the timber mills, whaling, orchards, dairy and in some cases diversified farming disappeared. Tourism helped resurrect the town. The main scenic drives of Denmark will now be under threat with the proposed heavy haulage highway cutting a swathe through picturesque countryside. Last but not least cost. Many of the established roads in Denmark are sub standard, pathways inadequate, parking severely limited and lighting abysmal. Why is the Shire so intent to spend mega dollars on a heavy haulage road, when so many other facilities should be attended to? If a heavy haulage road is required, then why is it not placed further out on Churchill Road, a rural area, not affecting subdivisions or residential areas and then taken across to rejoin the South Coast Highway? Better still, why not improve the South Coast Highway, currently used by heavy haulage vehicles, people already living on this route do so because quite obviously they have accepted the noise, danger and impact on their lives? Lower the speed limit from the Denmark Agricultural College to the Denmark Tavern to forty. The heavy haulage route now used by trucks does impact on the local High School, but at least the older students are more aware of traffic dangers than the younger children attending The Steiner School. The cost of construction for two bridges on the East River Road, to carry the massive weight of freight laden trucks will be astronomical, the unsuitable and hazardous terrain in which this heavy haulage route is to be built will entail not only loss of environment, create dangerous conditions for those using the Mount Shadforth Road, Scotsdale Road, Cussons Road, East River Road, both east and west, but involve a debt of gigantic proportions to be carried by the ratepayers of Denmark for no sound reason for decades to come. I strongly urge the Councillors to reconsider and discard this detrimental proposal. P2 Joss Harman I wish to lodge an objection against the implementation of the “Northern Link Road”, Noted – refer comments and associated recommendations in PO Box 39 proposed under the Draft LPS for Denmark. Officer’s Report titled Proposed East-West Link Road. DENMARK WA 6333 Clearly, the term Northern Link Road is a politically more palatable title than Heavy Page 3 of 271 Vehicle By-Pass – which is obviously the eventual purpose of the road. Although, as an affected land owner, my wife and I have a vested interest in the matter, the following are other reasons why I believe that construction of the road would be a very bad decision: 1. Unsuitability of terrain – looking at the plan, it seems clear that the proposal must have been based upon referral to maps rather than inspection of the terrain concerned. Any person who has operated vehicles ranging from motor cycles to road trains (as I have) would immediately know upon examination of the proposed route, that no amount of engineering and earthworks could ever make the route safe for all traffic because of gradient and tight turns. 2. Cost – the cost of attempting to make the route usable by heavy vehicles (which invited or not will use the road) would be enormous, to say nothing of the construction two new bridges over Denmark River, and an adjacent small creek, capable of carrying such weights. This cost can only be supported by ratepayers and taxpayers. 3. Tourism – Cussons Road, Mount Shadforth Road and Scotsdale Road have all been promoted as tourist drives. The intrusion of unavoidable heavy vehicles will not only detract from the tourism amenity of these roads but also dramatically increase danger to light traffic. 4. Environmental considerations – construction of the road would be an environmental disaster in terms of what most people love about Denmark. Both McLean Road and East River Road (including Riverbend Lane) support many magnificent old growth Karri, Jarrah, Marri, Tingle and other species. Much has been said (and done) to preserve a small number of such trees along Kearsley Street and elsewhere. Yet, with a stroke, enormous numbers will be lost along the proposed route. 5. Loss of value to landowners – no less than four residential subdivisions have been approved along the proposed route with many lots actually abutting it. In particular, the new owners of numerous 4,000 square metre lots along the eastern side of Cussons road will endure the noise of heavy vehicles struggling up Cussons Road and coming down it with jake-brakes in full force. As a Licensed Valuer, I know that all land owners will have the value of their properties significantly reduced. 6. Loss of amenity and character – the northern skyline, as viewed from the town centre, is characterized by the fine stands of Karri and other species which provide much of what Denmark represents to most people. This skyline will disappear and be replaced with hideous earthworks and the sight of passing vehicles – including trucks. It has been alleged by some that this will be avoided by the resumption of private land along the route. However, anyone who has walked along McLean Road from the west will know that the private land on either side is as heavily timbered as is the road reserve, so this is an inaccurate assertion. 7. Dangerous entry into Mount Barker Road from East River Road – this is an Page 4 of 271 almost blind entry because of slopes in the Mount Barker Road from both north and south. My family and I have used this intersection for almost forty years and have seen many “near misses” with light vehicles – let alone heavy trucks. The Northern Link Road is a bad, expensive, unsafe, damaging and intrusive planning suggestion and we urge the Council to abandon the idea and examine the numerous alternatives available (if indeed such a thing is genuinely needed).