Call to arms: intermodal can be stopped, says Harle

A Liverpool councillor says the proposed Moorebank intermodal terminal is doomed if a new environmental impact study is conducted.

Councillor Peter Harle told Liverpool Council’s meeting last night that it was wrong to assume – as some people had – that it’s a done deal.

“If you think that it’s foregone conclusion, that it will get approved, well, no, it’s not a foregone conclusion,’’ Cr Harle said.

“We can win this.’’

He told council that a new impact study should now be held as the two previous intermodal proponents, Moorebank Intermodal Company (MIC) and the Sydney Intermodal Alliance (SIMTA) had now joined forces to operate just the one, larger terminal at Moorebank.

The Federal Government approved the agreement between SIMTA and MIC last week.

Cr Harle’s comments were made after a Labor councillor, the former mayor, Wendy Waller, questioned plans by council to allocated $60,000 towards a new phase in its campaign against the intermodal.

“I am not against approving this but I just want to ask, when does the money stop,’’ Cr Waller said.

“There’s no money tree at the bottom of the garden.’’

Council voted unanimously to support spending the money, which will go towards billboard advertising and a mail out to residents.

The mayor, Ned Mannoun, revealed that he and the council CEO, Carl Wulff, had met with MIC earlier this week, and had received an indication that a final decision may be made in September this year.

“I think that’s being a bit optimistic,’’ the mayor told council.

Councillor Tony Hadchiti, responding to Cr Waller’s question regarding the money, said: “We are fighting this for the residents, and we should continue to fight this for them, no matter how much it costs.’’

Speaking to the South West Voice after the meeting, Cr Harle said it was true that some people believed that it was all over as far as the intermodal going ahead was concerned.

“It’s one of the reasons a lot of people have given up fighting it.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“But if we can get a new impact study done and it gets done honestly it should reject the proposal.[/social_quote]

“The study on the SIMTA proposal was bad for that, and now that everything will be bigger, the impacts will be bigger and should not go ahead,’’ Cr Harle said.

Allan Corben, a member of Liverpool City No Intermodal Committee and

community group, Residents Against Intermodal Development (RAID) has written to NSW Planning to call for a new impact study.

“The EIS process should commence again from the start,’’ Mr Corben wrote.

“For the last five years, members of the community have had to contend with the confusion of having to relate to two different proposals, both relating to their own predicted operations.

“Now that the development will be substantially larger than previously proposed, it will have a much larger impact on the infrastructure, noise, air quality and traffic.

“To put it simply, it’s a new ball game,’’ Mr Corben wrote.