Fremantle bypass removal open for public comment

12/11/02
The proposal to remove the Fremantle Eastern Bypass from the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) has been opened for public comment today.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the public had until February 21, 2003 to comment on a proposal to delete the bypass reservation and allow the land to be developed for residential, commercial and public open space purposes.
Ms MacTiernan said the Government had chosen an amendment to the Metropolitan Region Scheme, rather than legislating to remove the bypass, to enable the community to be involved in the decision.
"It is time this long standing issue was resolved once and for all," Ms MacTiernan said.
"Then this blighted wasteland in the heart of Fremantle will once again be integrated into the community.
"Better alternatives for moving freight into Fremantle Port, identified by the Freight Network Congress earlier this year, have removed the need for the bypass."
Ms MacTiernan said these alternatives included:

• increasing rail freight from three to 30 per cent of the port's freight task;
• building inland container terminals;
• planning now for the outer harbour at Kwinana;
• using road transport more efficiently;
• extending Roe Highway to Kwinana Freeway; and
• improving existing roads.

"The cumulative effect of these initiatives will be that Fremantle Ports' forecast 2011 trade levels could be handled with no increase in the number of trucks that currently service the inner harbour."
Ms MacTiernan said that despite the previous Government ramming the bypass reservation through Parliament in 1993 no work on constructing the bypass had been done.
"In our view, this road was never going to be built," Ms MacTiernan said
"The presence of the bypass in the MRS masked a lack of real strategy to deal with the growth of freight traffic.
"It failed to recognise that much of this growth in freight was generated by the major commercial and industrial precincts in Kewdale, Canning Vale, Jandakot and Kwinana and is unrelated to the Port.
"Removing the bypass will also mean that the proposed extension of Roe Highway through environmentally important Bibra and North Lakes will no longer be necessary."

Ms MacTiernan said public consultation over the MRS amendment would be conducted concurrently with that for an amendment to the City of Fremantle's Town Planning Scheme to allow for redevelopment of the bypass land.
Minister's office: 9213 6400