Project Summary - Keane Road Strategic Link - City of Armadale

Project Summary - Keane Road Strategic Link
Project Overview (June 2012 update)
Keane Road is located approximately 20 km south-east of Perth and approximately 7 km northwest of
the Armadale Regional Town Centre. The WA State government has previously provided the
dedicated road reserve under the care and control of the City of Armadale as part of the regional road
network. Two stages of Keane Road have previously been constructed to accommodate the intended
purposes of traffic movements and public infrastructure. However, the third central section has not
yet been constructed to a proper trafficable standard and an environmental impact assessment (EIA)
is accordingly required to be completed.
The constructed stage of Keane Road to the west of currently un-constructed portion of dedicated
road reserve provides access to the planned Harrisdale High School and the Harrisdale Town Centre
district level shopping activity centre. The High School on the corner of Keane Road and Skeet Road
is scheduled to commence construction in 2016 for an opening in 2018. The eastern constructed
stage of Keane Road intersects with Armadale Road and provides access and frontage to the
planned Forrestdale Business Park (West). However, the un-constructed portion of dedicated road
reserve located between Keane Road’s intersections with Skeet Road and Anstey Road does not
allow for proper continuity of movement along the whole length of the existing dedicated reserve, or
allow access to and from planned facilities located on each of the completed sections such as the
High School or new Town Centre (see Aerial Photo Location Plan below and located on the City’s
web-site www.armadale.wa.gov.au ).
The Western Australian Planning Commission’s Southern River, Forrestdale, Brookdale, Wungong
District Structure Plan identifies the urbanizations of Forrestdale precincts located both to the east
and the west of the un-constructed portion of the Keane Road dedicated road reserve that are
currently being implemented. It also identifies that post-urbanisation Keane Road would function as
an important district distributor linking road and facilitate servicing the area by utility infrastructure
networks. The existing dedicated road reserve provided for the Keane Road infrastructure is also
identified in the City of Armadale’s District Zoning Scheme (TPS No.4).
Completing Keane Road according to the District Plan would ensure that new and existing urban
residential communities of Harrisdale, Piara Waters and Forrestdale have appropriate ease of access
to planned facilities, including schools, parks, shopping and employment centres, in addition to
facilitating traffic movement between neighboring residential cells. The road will also accommodate
future service infrastructure extensions and upgrades within the road corridor, such as for water,
reticulated sewerage and public transport bus services and it will accordingly protect the environment
by limiting the need for single service infrastructure alignments, which may otherwise cumulatively
impact upon the adjacent conservation estate.
Background
The EIA project involves assessing the environmental impact of constructing the 1.5 km length of
dedicated road reserve required to link the existing constructed sections of Keane Road located to the
west of Skeet Road and to the east of Anstey Road. The completed road between Skeet and Anstey
Roads is proposed to be constructed as a single carriageway one lane in each direction with a grade
separated dual use pathway located on one side of the road verge.
The existing 20 metre wide dedicated Crown road reserve currently supports both partially cleared fire
trail and degraded areas and fully vegetated areas. It is located in an area that is environmentally
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sensitive and supporting natural vegetation, including a portion classified as Conservation Category
Wetland.
In accordance with WA government’s Bush Forever Site Implementation Guideline Practice Notes for
existing dedicated road reserves identified in Town Planning Schemes, the City of Armadale intends
to design and construct the road network serving the rapidly developing residential communities of
Harrisdale, Piara Waters and Forrestdale, in a way that is sensitive to and which minimizes impacts
on the environment.
Construction of the currently non-trafficable section of Keane Road will require the clearing of
approximately 2 ha of existing vegetation from the dedicated road reserve. Through careful alignment,
design and construction the City of Armadale will aim to substantially reduce the amount of vegetation
clearing that would otherwise be required for a similar district distributor road. This will be acheived
through a range of measures including route selection, utilising previously cleared areas and refining
the alignment to avoid vegetated areas as much as possible. The area of native vegetation that will be
required to be cleared for road construction represents less than 1% of the 296.4 ha of the adjacent
protected bushland area.
The City of Armadale has referred the construction of a contiguous trafficable Keane Road and dual
use pathway identified by the District Structure Plan, District Zoning Scheme and the already provided
dedicated road reserve (connected to the regional road network) to the WA Environmental Protection
Authority (EPA) under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (the EP Act) so that the
project can be properly assessed. The City is preparing the comprehensive Public Environmental
Review (PER) documentation which the EPA requires for the project.
The City also referred the proposal to the Federal Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities for consideration of National Environmental Significance in accordance
with the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (SEWPaC was
formerly Department of Environment, Water Heritage and Arts). The City’s referral documentation was
advertised on the SEWPaC website for public notification on 12 August 2009. For further clarification,
please refer to following web-link:
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgibin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=5035
Information on the Commonwealth Department of SEWPaC’s assessment of the project will be
posted separately on the City’s website including any information provided on the form of assessment
and/or opportunities for public involvement. The WA State EPA and the Commonwealth Department
of SEWPaC will carry out separate and independent assessments of constructing the last section of
Keane Road. The City would need to obtain approval under both State and Commonwealth
jurisdictions for implementation of road construction works to commence.
If the City receives the respective approvals for completion of the road from the WA and
Commonwealth Ministers for the Environment, their decisions will also set appropriate environmental
guidelines and conditions to be implemented as part of the road’s future construction by the City of
Armadale.
To compensate for the approximately 2 ha of native vegetation required to be cleared for the last
section of Keane Road the City also proposes to implement “Environmental Offset” benefits for the
Forrestdale locality as part of the project and in accordance with its principles of environmental and
biodiversity management. These will be negotiated with the regulators and land manager agencies
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and may include improvements to the protection and management of the adjacent bushland areas
(currently subject to chronic long term degradation caused by off road vehicles and rubbish dumping
activities), reinstatement of degraded areas and/or transfer of additional areas of native vegetation in
the City of Armadale into the conservation estate for long term protection and management for
conservation.
Revision of PER Document
A completed draft of the PER documentation was sent to the EPA in May 2010. The Office of the EPA
(OEPA) reviewed the document and required the City to submit further information before the
document could be released to the public for review and comments. In response to OEPA the City of
Armadale has accordingly prepared additional studies.
The revised PER document is anticipated to be submitted to the EPA by the end of July 2012. The
City will request that the EPA release the PER for written public submissions and the EPA will
determine if the documentation is adequate for release to the public for comment and provide details
of advertising and notification requirements and timeframes.
Once the period for formal written public submissions has been confirmed by the EPA the City of
Armadale will notify key stakeholders and post the date of the PER formal public comment period on
its website.
Environmental Studies
The Environmental Impact Assessment will be based on the outcomes and recommendations of the
following environmental studies. The relevant environmental study reports will be amended to comply
with the additional requirements advised by the EPA and SEWPaC prior to their release of the EIA
documentation into the next written submissions stages of the State and Commonwealth assessment
processes.
Study Scope
Flora and Vegetation • Identify and map the distribution of any rare or priority flora found
across the proposed development.
• Identify and map the distribution of floristic vegetation communities
including any Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) found on the
site.
• Identify any weeds and their distribution across the site.
• Report on the vegetation condition, environmental threats and
protection needed throughout Bush Forever Site 342.
• Determine management strategies for any potential vegetation
impacts identified.
Fauna • Identify and record the location of any rare or priority fauna (and/or
significant fauna habitat) found across the proposed development.
• Report on the specially protected fauna, population status, fauna
habitats, environmental threats and protection needed.
• Determine management strategies for any potential fauna impacts
identified.
• Consider local fauna movement in the design of the road.
Cultural Heritage • Undertake a desktop review (DIA database search already
conducted) of previous Archaeological and Ethnographic consultancy
reports and relevant European sources for previously recorded
heritage sites.
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Study Scope
• Undertake an archaeological and ethnographic survey and consult
with Indigenous representatives.
• Map the location of any heritage sites.
• Determine management strategies for any potential cultural heritage
impacts identified.
Noise • Advise on relevant regulatory requirements that must be met.
• Undertake noise prediction to determine likely noise levels and
compare against relevant regulatory requirements.
• Determine management measures to mitigate noise levels if required.
Surface Water,
Wetland/Dampland
Impacts
Acid Sulphate Soils
(ASS)
• Identify the surface flows/catchments relevant to the proposed
development.
• Identify potential impacts of the proposed road construction and
operation including changes to surface flows and surface water
quality.
• Discuss potential impacts with the botanist and zoologist engaged to
undertake the environmental impact assessment and determine
potential impacts to wetland/dampland ecology.
• Determine appropriate management measures to mitigate any
potential impacts on the surface water and surrounding wetland/
dampland habitat, including conceptual surface water management
design.
• Identify the presence of ASS within the proposed development
• If present, identify and map the distribution of any ASS.
• Determine appropriate management measures to mitigate any
potential impacts if present.
Dieback • Identify the presence of dieback within the proposed development and
an appropriate surrounding buffer.
• If present, identify and map the distribution of any Dieback across the
proposed development area and an appropriate surrounding buffer.
• Determine appropriate management measures to mitigate any
potential impacts of the development.
Environmental Management Plans
Environmental Management Plans will be included in the PER as follows:
• Vegetation, Weeds and Rehabilitation
• Dieback
• Fauna
• Fire
• Acid Sulphate Soils
• Surface Water
• Cultural Heritage
• Noise
• Dust
• Spills
• Waste.
Social Impact Assessment
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A social impact assessment will form part of the project documentation released for written public
submissions . Social impacts to be assessed and managed include:
• Noise
• Visual amenity
• Dust
• Safety
• Traffic and Transportation
• Cultural Heritage
• Land use
• Community access to Activity Centres and services.
Consultation
The anticipated consultation framework for the project involves the following activities (Note:
information on timelines will be posted on the City of Armadale’s website):
Activity Timeframes
Mail out of initial project & contact information to November 2008 (complete)
local residents, stakeholder and interest groups
Project Summary information placed on website November 2008 (complete)
Stakeholder meetings & EIA Process updates Ongoing
Updates of Website EIA Process information Ongoing
Formal Public Review Period When EIA documents are released by
regulatory agencies the public & local
residents, stakeholder & interest groups will
be invited to make formal written submissions
Formal Appeals Period The public also have an opportunity to appeal
the regulator’s assessments at the final stage
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How to get involved
• Join your local residents association, ‘friends’ or land care groups
• Write a letter to the City of Armadale
• Write a submission during the public review or appeals period
• Go to www.armadale.wa.gov.au for regular EIA project updates
• Contact the City of Armadale on info@armadale.wa.gov.au
• If you wish to discuss a particular issue contact one of the people listed below.
The City of
Armadale
EnviroWorks
Consulting
Mr. James Robinson Manager Strategic 9399 0111
Planning
info@armadale.wa.gov.au
Ms. Laura Todd Director 9221 9500
laura.todd@enviroworks.com.au
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