While the plantation timber industry is still in its early stages in Albany, existing infrastructure is already under pressure to deal with the volume of timber making its way to the port.
While the plantation timber industry is still in its early stages in Albany, existing infrastructure is already under pressure to deal with the volume of timber making its way to the port.
Funding has been received for stage one of a ring road, to divert trucks from Albany’s ‘big’ roundabout, but stages two and three remain unfunded.
The increasing amount of timber needing to be transported is sure to affect the community, and with only a two-lane road leading into the port, access issues are likely to arise.
Chris Pavlovich, manager of Southern Haulage, one of the biggest trucking companies in Albany, said authorities were aware of the increase of primary production volumes in the region as much as 12 years ago.
“Timber resource has ownership and the owner will sell to capitalise investment. Timber will be hauled in trucks, or wheelbarrows if required, regardless of the standard of road infrastructure,” Mr Pavlovich said.
“Assessment of the safety to other road users and preservation of country lifestyles in communities enroute is the responsibility of government planning and infrastructure departments.”
Albany Port Authority CEO Brad Williamson said the port was going through a period of unprecedented growth and would be doubling tonnage in the next four to five years.
“Last financial year the amount of woodchips doubled, and this year they will double again.” Mr Williamson told WA Business News.
“Woodchips are changing the port. We used to export 80 per cent grain, but now it is 50/50 with woodchips and grain, which means there is much less risk on the seasonality of grain.
“If we can get the magnetite mine up it will be the biggest thing in the town’s history, and we will have to create new berths and dredge to allow bigger ships.”
However, dredging in Albany has a unique difficulty, and the port is currently taking legal action against the Commonwealth for surplus ammunition dumped in the harbour at the end of WWII.
Dredging in late 2000 brought up old bombs, requiring a $3 million modification to the dredge so the project could be completed.
Mr Williamson said despite recent statements by the Federal Government regarding ports’ inability to manage themselves, nothing had been done to help alleviate the situation in Albany.
“The Commonwealth has been exceptionally unhelpful in relation to this matter, and that is why we have taken them to court,” Mr Williamson said.
While tension is often unavoidable when a busy port is located in the heart of a lifestyle town, Mr Williamson said as much as possible was being done to minimise the impact of the port.
Others see the conflict between community and port as more long-term and irreconcilable, and suggest the port should be moved.
Town planner Neil Smithson has created a private planning strategy, Rainbow 2000, which involves the relocation of the port and establishment of an outer ring toll road for trucks through a $400 million capital raising.
“I don’t see how the port can be kept viable in the face of the development going on and the problems with traffic generation from heavy vehicles,” Mr Smithson said.
Timber 2020 executive officer Julia Levinson said there was concern about the approach to funding for roads in the area, and said roads were a big issue for Albany.
“The aim of Timber 2020 is to treble the amount of plantation estates around Australia, but they are forgetting the infrastructure that is needed to support that,” Ms Levinson said.
