BATEMAN MLA Dean Nalder believes the State Government is setting Palmyra up as a long-term conduit for trucks by deciding to proceed with an upgrade to High Street that was originally part of early plans for the now shelved Perth Freight Link (PFL).
He also claimed that the project would lead to a future upgrade of the intersection at Stock Road and Leach Highway – and the resumption of homes and businesses in the area.
“When I was Transport Minister, I listened to a lot of Palmyra residents concerned about the PFL because the original plan was to bring trucks from the port along High Street and down Stock Road to the extended Roe Highway,” he said.
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READ NOW“I didn’t like the idea of channelling all the trucks through behind the housing in that area and so we spent a year looking at 22 different options to come up with the tunnel through to Winterfold Road (Roe 9).
“By committing to this High Street upgrade the Labor Government is committing to taking trucks down the back of Palmyra residents’ homes long-term and eventually they will be resuming land to connect High Street and Leach Highway to the major arterial that is Stock Road.
“If they thought the PFL was a road to nowhere, what do you call this?”
Bicton MLA Lisa O’Malley, who campaigned heavily against the PFL, was quick to rubbish claims that the upgrade would lead to homes and businesses being demolished.
‘There is no truth to claims of home resumption,” she said.
“The residents of Moody Glen and surrounding streets just want to be left alone to get on with their lives safe in the knowledge that their homes are now safe.
“No homes will be resumed in Palmyra while I am the Member for Bicton.”
Before settling on the tunnel option for Roe 9, the previous Liberal Government planned to extend Leach Highway in a trench from Carrington Street to Stirling Highway running parallel to High Street; the same section of road the current State Government plans to upgrade.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti would not confirm whether the State Government was considering using that same trench plan, which would require running the new road through the northern part of Royal Fremantle Golf Course.
“The McGowan Government inherited plans for this section of road but will be reworking them in consultation with the community and relevant stakeholders,” she said.
“Once we have completed the consultation process with the community and relevant stakeholders we will be in a better place to provide more detail.
“There will be no resumption of land along Leach Highway.”
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