Port Hedland's development as a major regional centre and a better place to live, work and invest will be boosted by a new plan for managing the air quality and noise impacts of its rapidly growing export industries.
Premier and State Development Minister Colin Barnett said the Town of Port Hedland and export industries had worked with the State Government to provide a plan that ended 40 years of contention.
"The Port Hedland Air Quality and Noise Management Plan balances community development and renewal, with the continued growth of vital export industries," Mr Barnett said.
"It will help the transformation of Port Hedland and South Hedland that will result from the Liberal-National Government's Pilbara Cities initiative."
In Port Hedland today representing the Premier as Parliamentary Secretary for State Development, Mr Bill Marmion said the plan was a significant step forward for the region.
"Port Hedland will continue its development as a major regional centre, with the West End as its commercial and entertainment heart and the town's east end as an attractive, modern residential community," Mr Marmion said.
"The plan sets goals and allocates responsibilities for managing the impact of dust and noise on people and property, and for monitoring and managing dust and noise levels."
A comprehensive air monitoring system would be established and industry, the Town of Port Hedland and government agencies would work together to implement the plan and achieve the recommended dust levels as projected in the Taskforce Dust and Noise Management Plan.
The plan adopts an interim guideline measure for air quality (PM10) of 70 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) during 24 hours with not more than 10 exceedances per year, to enable further management and planning controls.
Specific roles include:
· Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) will have overall responsibility for implementing environmental management controls and air monitoring criteria
· Department of Health will provide further health advice, informed by the monitoring data
· Town of Port Hedland will develop and implement land use planning initiatives to ensure Port Hedland's continued growth and development, supported by the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) and the Department of Planning
· Port Hedland Industries Council, which includes representatives of the Port Hedland Port Authority and major port users, will co-ordinate industry improvement initiatives and monitoring programs.
The plan was developed by the Port Hedland Dust Management Taskforce, established by the Western Australian Government in 2009.
The taskforce would monitor progress in implementing the plan.
Copies of the Port Hedland Air Quality and Noise Management Plan and fact sheets explaining key elements are available from http://www.dsd.wa.gov.au/PHDTF
Footnote:
Members of the taskforce were:
· Town of Port Hedland
· Port Hedland Port Authority
· departments of Health, Planning, Environment and Conservation, and Premier and Cabinet
· iron ore exporters including BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Iron Ore
· Department of State Development (chair).
The Port Hedland Industries Council (PHIC) has the following members:
· Atlas Iron
· BHP Billiton
· Birla Nifty
· Consolidated Minerals (Pilbara Manganese)
· Fortescue Metals Group
· Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd
· Newcrest Mining Pty Ltd
· North West Iron Ore Alliance
· P&O Automotive and General Stevedoring
· Port Hedland Port Authority
· Process Minerals International
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