Environmental issues connected to the Perth Waterfront Project will be managed by the Swan River Trust, the Environmental Protection Authority has announced.
EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said the SRT was best placed to regulate ongoing management and monitoring of potential environmental impacts of the project, which will transform 10 hectares of the Swan River foreshore into a new waterfront precinct.
Connecting the CBD to the Swan River, the construction of the Perth Waterfront Project will include the creation of an island within the inlet and ferry and boat access into the inlet via a dredged channel from the river.
Dr Vogel said based on studies and management plans submitted with the proposal, a formal assessment was not warranted, however the EPA would issue public advice relating to the construction and management of environmental impacts.
“The Department of Planning has prepared environmental management plans for key issues such as dredging, dewatering and site remediation in accordance with an Environmental Assessment Report that was endorsed by the EPA in August 2009,” Dr Vogel said.
“These management plans, together with advice from the Office of the EPA, Department of Environment and Conservation, the Department of Health and the Department of Water, will allow the Swan River Trust to manage any potential environmental issues.”
Dr Vogel said in coming to its decision, the EPA considered several environmental issues, including impacts to the Swan River’s water quality, displacement of marine fauna during construction, and turbid plumes caused by dredging.
He said the Environmental Protection Act 1986, the Contaminated Sites Act 2003, the Planning and Development Act 2005, the Metropolitan Region Scheme and the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act 2006 was a comprehensive and robust legislative regime to manage and regulate environmental issues.
Under State legislation, the SRT had also been given special powers by the Western Australian Planning Commission to be the environmental watchdog for this project.
“In conjunction with this legislation, the public advice the EPA will issue will relate to the ongoing management of water and sediment quality in the inlet, the need for ongoing consultation with stakeholders and the community, and the need for best practice dust management during the construction,” Dr Vogel said.
Media contact: Nadia Miraudo 0400 866 450
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