Port meeting seeks answers

By Sarah Schwager
MORE than 300 people turned out in Cranbourne last Wednesday for the most recent meeting on the Port of Hastings proposed expansion.
Casey mayor Colin Butler said the meeting went well with more people aware of the issue and that the responsibility lay with the Port of Hastings Corporation (POHC).
But he said there was an overwhelming feeling from residents not just that they did not want a rail freight corridor running through the city’s south but that they did not want to see the port expanded at all.
“Council has only said that it supports the expansion in principle. We still need more information on the environmental and social impacts of the port expansion,” Cr Butler said.
He said the Mornington Peninsula Shire and Frankston City Council had also come out saying that they wanted more information before they could support the proposal.
The City of Greater Dandenong has not yet provided its stance on the issue.
POHC chief executive officer Ralph Kenyon agreed to organise a forum with residents to discuss the issue although there is still some dispute about whether POHC or Casey and Cardinia councils should run it.
Casey councillor Steve Beardon said that there were still residents who had been left in the dark about the proposal.
“I am very disappointed and agree with residents that the POHC has not done enough to notify and seek feedback from the wider community,” he said.
“There are still many who are not even aware that kilometre-long freight trains could one day be dividing Cranbourne in two.”
Cr Beardon said he supported the expansion of the port but not a rail route running through Casey and Cranbourne.
Cr Butler said the council would write to all affected landowners on the proposed rail route in the next couple of weeks to explain the issue.
Residents have until 14 March to send submissions on the Port of Hastings Land Use and Transport Strategy. For more information contact the POHC on 5979 5500 or visit their website at www.portofhastings.vic.gov.au.