Kristina Keneally quashes roads inquiry

The State Government has denied a request for a public inquiry into the proposal to remove restrictions on road deliveries to the Port Kembla Coal Terminal.The NSW Greens had made the request, citing concerns about extra truck movements.But Planning Minister Kristina Keneally dismissed it, explaining the public had been given plenty of opportunity to put forward their views."Although the proposal remains controversial in some sections of the Wollongong community it is not technically complex and consequently there would be limited benefit in seeking independent expert advice," Ms Keneally said.But Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon says the concerns have not been properly addressed and a public hearing, similar to the one which occurred for the Metropolitan Coal Project application recently, should be held."Residents, community groups, the council and even some government agencies are concerned about noise that will come from an increase in the number of heavily laden coal trucks rolling through Wollongong streets," she said."They also hold fears about road safety and impacts on air quality and climate change."The coal terminal operates 24 hours a day, but under state planning laws established in 1982 it is only able to receive coal by road between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday.Terminal management cites the use of different routes, road upgrades and improvements to vehicles as justification for removal of the curfew to allow coal trucks to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It argues the removal will result in a more constant spread of coal trucks on the region's roads and the noise and pollution impacts will be minimal.Present restrictions mean the terminal can receive a maximum 5.2 million tonnes by road per annum. Under the proposal the terminal would be able to receive up to 10 million tonnes.The project is now in the final stage of assessment by the Planning Department and the Mercury has been told a final decision is likely within weeks.There were 113 public submissions objecting to the plan after its public exhibition, of 122 submitted. Wollongong City Council has expressed its concerns about the effect on roads.In its report, the coal terminal acknowledged the key issues included noise from trucks, traffic and road safety, dust or air pollution and the prospect of rail being an alternative to road transportation."Currently there are three mines out of a total of 12 which deliver coal to (the coal terminal) via road transportation, which represents 25 per cent of the mines," the report says.