With the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and the Conservation Council of WA calling on Environment Minister Stephen Dawson not to extend the approval deadline for the Point Gray Marina project, the Mail asked readers to have their say on the issue.
This is what they said:
This development at no stage should ever go ahead.
Living in the area myself all my life I have noticed more and more pressure on the estuary system regarding boat traffic, pollution and the fishing sector.
With the area of which the estuary is and how shallow it is I can't see it coping with a development like this. Having fresh local crabs and fish available to either catch or buy is important to the area and for generations to come.
If this development goes ahead I can see the pressure on the estuary being too much for the size of it and the dredging just endangering the local iconic seafood i.e. blue swimmer crab.
Concerned local resident, Holly Drage.
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I am strongly against the proposed development at Point Grey.
Being a Mandurah Commercial Fisherman and a local resident growing up here all my life the estuary has been a playground for myself and many friends. Now I am able to not only use it as a playground but an office too.
The estuary cannot cope with the pressure that this would put on it. Seeing the deaths of thousands of fish recently out of the Murray and Serpentine Rivers I can see the estuary is in a fragile state and putting more pressure on it with dredging and boat traffic could push it over the edge.
Need for complete re-assessing of proposal.
Blair Bell.
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I say no way to the point grey marina.
The reasons are that the estuary is a very fragile water way with to much development around it already this marina and dredging that goes with it could make the estuary collapse and turn into a muddy wast land.
Isn't all the 3000+fish deaths in the Murray saying something.
Aaron.
I say no way to the point grey marina.
I would like to know the compleat reassessing of the proposal in light of the 3000+fish deaths in the Murray.
Also what is going to happen when the dredging starts in such a fragile ecosystem.
Joanne.
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Firstly Thank you for raising the awareness of this within the Peel Community once again. This email covers 11 fishing families with 5 generations of history within the estuary.
Our position has not changed over the past 5 years in that we strongly oppose the dredging of the access channel and inland marina to house 300 oversize boats. In this 5 year period we have worked in unison with Recfish West and the Department of Fisheries to become a world leader in environmental management of near shore recreational and commercial fisheries.
We have proved our fishing methodology is sustainable by attaining the Marine Stewardship Accreditation (MSC) for Blue swimmer crabs and Sea Mullet. This accreditation is based on the environmental conditions being maintained at the present standard and any industrial development that places that in peril must be considered too higher risk.
Also of great interest is the fact that Port Bouvard Ltd folded and was bought out by as Asian Backed developer :TIAN AN. So now we have this development and the future of our estuary placed in the hands of a foreign company who state; “ Point Grey is a 275 hectare jewel in the crown of the Peel Region, with approvals in place to develop a master-planned residential community, designed to provide an exceptional lifestyle and investment opportunity”.
Taken from their web page – We agree this is the jewel in the crown and strongly feel on the back of recent fish deaths that is would be the tipping point that sees the central life force of the Peel region destroyed for the benefit of overseas investors.
NO WAY PT GREY!!!!!!
Damien Bell, president Mandurah Licensed Fisherman’s Association.
I do not think the Point Grey Marina should go ahead.
I want to preserve the estuary in the most pristine state for the future.
There is already too much boating.
Thank you for the article
Robyn Devenish.
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I am contacting you the article on page 44 of last week’s Mandurah Mail where you have invited public comment on this proposed project.
I could write pages as to why this project should never have been approved but will use 3 brief points to support my argument.
1. Environmental Grounds :- The Precautionary Principle :- in simple terms if the science doesn’t support the case then it shouldn’t happen. The science has never supported this project only the consultants fairy story did. ( please see attached docs)
2. Financial Grounds :- I believe that the same consultants who did the submissions for Pt Grey also did the submission for the disastrous Busselton Port Geographe project which has cost the WA taxpayer at least $20 million to fix because they got the locations and angles wrong on the breakwater at the entrance. All the costs related to canal/waterways maintenance of this project were supposed to be met by funds from the sale of the land in the development. Contact the city of Busselton and see how they feel about a project that has had several developers go broke with this disaster. The same principle is supposed to happen with the Pt Grey channel maintenance dredging being paid for from a sinking fund from the land sales, it is not possible that if this project goes ahead that the funds will last forever and will eventually fall to the Shire of Murray ratepayers to pay which will cost a minimum of 1 million each time it is done.
3. Management and Conditions :- in correspondence Minister Marmion at the time said he would put terms and conditions on the project, my question is who is going to enforce them.Govt agencies such as DOW have not got the resources to manage their current area of responsibility now so what of the future.
Colin Elton.