URGENT: Objection writing session for VCAT on SUNDAY 5TH from 10am to 4pm at the Mechanics Hall & we'll give you a hand to write and submit your objection!
PN are going to VCAT soon to have a whinge that Wyndham Council (rightly) rejected their planning application to start destroying native vegetation for '...the purposes of archaeological excavation as part of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan'.
Pacific National have given no good reason for this destruction, other than they're trying to get an unfair head start on the Environmental Effects Statement the Victorian Government will require them to complete.
Objections need to be lodged by 4PM ON TUESDAY 7TH MAY! We don't have long!
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Green wedge protected farmland & native grasslands "at real risk of being driven to extinction due to housing and industrial developments."
Pacific National's destructive plan for Little River
(don't worry PN, we fixed it for you! Scroll across)
Pacific National's plan for a community & environment-wrecking rail intermodal at Little River
Pacific National Little River Intermodal - seriously?? Here's all the reasons it's BAD.
01
No community consultation
Despite their glossy website claims, Pacific National did NOT consult the residents of Little River on plans to build a 350ha rail intermodal just 1.5kms from the centre of town on land that is zoned Green Wedge until March 2024...work started in 2022!
We mean, how hard would it be go 'hey guys, we wanna destroy your town & way of life, how about we talk?'
03
Greenwashing bulls*t
In today's globalized world, large corporations claiming to be 'climate friendly' are the good guys, right?
Yeah, nah. Pacific National are greenwashing the Little River rail intermodal to gain support for a plan that destroys, not saves.
Seems it's easy for Pacific National to just NOT walk the talk.
02
Robo-phone survey
The best Pacific National could be bothered to do in their idiotic plan to concrete over large areas of natural farm & grassland within 1.5 km of Little River, was 'survey' people with an automated phone call.
Problem is, they didn't survey many Little River locals...we checked. Listen to the highly biased, greenwashed recording here.
04
But...'community connections'!
But, Pacific National care about communities! You can read all about it on their website - "As an organisation with a significant regional presence we are committed to enhancing and caring for the communities which we operate in and through."
Hey Pacific National, did you forget about the Little River community?
05
Driving extinction
Professor of Sustainability & Urban Planning, Sarah Bekessy (an actual scientist) said "grasslands to Melbourne's west are at real risk of being driven to extinction."
"It's always the case that it is public land or these green wedges are targets & we have to get away from that kind of thinking & see them as the assists to our city that they are."
Thanks Prof, best sense we've heard, love your work, people of Little River.
06
Will it really be that bad?
Nah, it'll be fine. As long as you're down for:
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24/7 truck noise
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24/7 train shunting & locomotive noise
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24/7 light pollution
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3200 additional vehicle movements a day
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Over 400 heavy haulage movements a day
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A dangerous & unacceptable increase in diesel particulate & other carcinogenic emissions (goodbye local primary school!)
Other than that, she's apples mate.
07
Driving extinction of locals
Your overpaid consultants seem to not care, but the 350 ha area (like, can you see that from space!?) you want to concrete over is habitat for endangered species.
The striped legless lizard & golden sun moth live here too you know, Pacific National.
Oh, don't forget the critically endangered large-headed fireweeds you're planning on bulldozing over. They just want somewhere quiet to live too.
09
Saving carbon emissions
Pacific National boss Paul Scurrah claims the Little River Intermodal will save 400,000 tonnes of Co2 over the next TWENTY EIGHT years.
Pfft. If it was every year, we might be impressed. But what Mr Scurrah has failed to consider as he stabs away at his calculator is as trucks run cleaner fuel & slowly electrify, that number will drop even further.
Try again Paul.
08
New biodiversity zone
We actually love this bit. 205 ha of biodiversity, 'saved' by Pacific National! Oh yay!
Yeah, but the whole area is already biodiverse, & we'd kind of like to keep it that way, & preferably not concrete over ANY of it.
Plus, given Pacific National's underhand, secretive, 'don't tell the locals' dealings so far, we're not really convinced they won't just conveniently ignore that bit too.
10
Jobs blah blah blah
We've all heard it before. This (massively destructive) project will create jobs!
Until it's actually allowed to go ahead, & then suddenly that jobs forecast that was massively overinflated is conveniently forgotten.
Just on that, if there'll be '3600 jobs' at Pacific Nationals Little River intermodal, why will there ONLY be 200 estimated truck movements every day? Hmmm?
Paul! Get the calculator!