Roe 8: City to begin talks with PFL builders

TALKS between the City of Cockburn and parties involved in the construction of stage one of the Perth Freight Link (PFL) are set to begin.

The City of Cockburn will hold a special council meeting on Thursday evening, with a recommendation put forward by engineering and works services director Charles Sullivan suggesting the council open lines of communication with the team building Roe 8.

Roe 8 is phase one of the $1.9b PFL project and will extend Roe Highway through to Stock Road via the Beeliar Wetlands.

In November Cockburn councillors voted to block potential meetings between city officers and the Building Roe 8 alliance until all legal proceedings surrounding the divisive project had run their course.

The local council is against the Perth Freight Link, believing an intermodal facility at Latitude 32 and an outer harbour at Cockburn Sound are better alternatives.

But with contractors having proceeded with considerable land clearing for Roe 8 since the vote, Mr Sullivan said the City needed to get involved.

“While all of the legal action and reviews on this matter have not been fully concluded, the uncertainty surrounding the timing of any remaining action does not assist the City’s staff in managing ongoing risks around the project,” he said.

“For instance, in order to mitigate the risk to contractors and protesters along Hope Road the City’s staff needs to consult with the project consortium on establishing appropriate traffic management measures in this location.

“The alliance is also at the planning stage where new roads connect with existing roads and noise walls are undergoing final design work.

“Under normal circumstances this would involve significant consultation with the City’s engineering officers to ensure that the City’s residents are not compromised by poor planning decisions and also to ensure that the city optimises any potential benefits from the project.”

The meeting will be held at the City’s administration building in Spearwood at 6pm.