Albany council refuses to extend Nullaki lime pit operating window and remove transport restrictions
A proposal to triple the operating time period and remove transport restrictions of a lime pit in Nullaki has been shut down by Albany councillors.
Councillors voted on Tuesday to refuse an amendment to the pit, located at Lot 9005 Eden Road in Nullaki, that would see its operational window extended from four months a year to 12 months a year.
Proponent Graeme Robertson and Great Southern Lime also requested the removal of restrictions of 50,000 tonnes per year to be transported off the site, and no more than 84 vehicles a week or 20 vehicles a day.
The original extractive industry was granted approval — subject to 45 conditions — by the State Administrative Tribunal in 2019 after the City of Albany refused it.
Primary concerns expressed by councillors and the majority of submissions made during the public comment period included public safety, noise disturbance, environmental concerns and a current lack of compliance.
Of the 105 submissions made, only five supported the extension, with the majority citing dicey near misses they had seen or experienced themselves with the trucks that utilise the same narrow, convoluted roads as local residents and the school bus.
Deputy mayor Paul Terry acknowledged the demand for lime but noted that conditions were put on the original approval for “very good reasons” and that many trucks did not obey the 40km/h speed limit of the road.
“In the report, it talks about, I think it’s 133 of those truck movements out of 140 or so were over the 40km/h (speed limit),” he said.
“In fact, over 50 per cent of trucks that were going through there were over 50km/h.
“Now that has a significant safety impact on the residents that go there.”
The pit occupies an 8ha area of the 437ha lot and is zoned as environmental conservation land.
Three members of the public spoke in favour of the extension and pointed to the necessity of lime for farmers in regulating the pH of their soil and the cost of trucking it in from further distances.
Cr Craig McKinley spoke against the motion of refusal, comparing the regulations to the Federal live sheep export ban in its effect on farmers and urged the council not to add more restrictions to the agricultural industry.
“We should be encouraging business,” he said.
“(Regarding the) transport speeding, well, I used the analogy at the committee meeting that they can’t control the speeding.
“It’s up to the WA Police to control and regulate the speeding trucks, it’s not up to the business.”
The motion to refuse the amendment was carried 7-3, with Crs McKinley, Thomas Brough and Mario Lionetti voting against.
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