July 2, 2010
hhag newsletter 11
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HHAG Committee Activity
Since our last newsletter Lynda Lovegrove has resigned from the committee, where she was both active member and filled the role of Secretary. On behalf of the community I have thanked Lynda for all the effort she put in. Trish Ryan, an already active member of the committee, has kindly volunteered to act as Secretary of the group going forward.
Since the last meeting of HHAG there have been a number of meetings, both separate meetings of the HHAG committee and combined meetings with the Hartley District Progress Association, the latter to progress a number of planning issues emanating from the highway upgrade project that are more appropriately pursued as broader Hartley District Progress Association initiatives. (more…)
March 22, 2010
hhag newsletter 10
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Our last Hartley Highway Action Group(HHAG) update was included in a newsletter prior to Christmas. Since then we have held a series of three meeting with orange corridor residents to consider the outputs from the value management workshops conducted by the RTA late last year. The last of these meetings had the senior RTA project manager in attendance. (more…)
December 4, 2009
hhag newsletter 9
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Public meeting
HHAG is holding a public meeting to discuss the RTA’s
detailed plans for the ‘Orange Corridor’.
All residents and owners directly affected by
any of the orange corridor options are urged to attend.
4 pm Saturday 23 January 2010
Hartley School Hall
IN THIS ISSUE:
- RTA’s current plans
- Outcome of RTA value management workshop
- Where HHAG stands now
- Meeting with those affected by the orange corridor
RTA’s current plans
In August the NSW government announced that the chosen option for the ‘upgrade’ of the Great Western Highway was the orange corridor, the corridor following generally the present alignment of the GWH through the Hartley valley. HHAG held a well-attended public meeting to seek guidance from the community on this decision. That meeting confirmed our strategy: to seek a minimum safety upgrade of the road through the valley and redirect the balance of funds earmarked for the project to enhance rail freight capacity or more appropriate road freight routes.
This strategy was overwhelmingly endorsed by the public when 3500 submissions were made to the RTA, opposing the massive ‘upgrade’ and calling for investment in safety, a road freight strategy and rail. The RTA continued on its course, and held a value management workshop last month to consider certain aspects of the chosen route. (more…)
November 24, 2009
hhag newsletter 8b
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Since our last newsletter three additional members have joined the HHAG committee elected at the public meeting we held on 26th September. The three new members are Pauline Worthington, Duncan Wass and Trish Ryan, all residents of the orange corridor or thereabouts. One member, Col Mc Donald, has resigned from the committee since our last newsletter. We have expressed our sincere thanks to Col particularly for his work with the RTA geologists regarding the Hartley Vale trough fault and the under valley workings. Since the public meeting the committee has met on two occasions (at the Comet Inn generously facilitated by Kathy and Greg).
Our public meeting on 26th September was called to enable the community to comment on the go forward strategy that the committee had promulgated in newsletters No 6 and No 7. That strategy, essentially to seek a minimum safety upgrade of the road through the valley and redirect the balance of funds earmarked for the project to enhance rail freight capacity or more appropriate road freight routes was considered by the meeting and confirmed.
(more…)
November 8, 2009
hhag newsletter 8a: Call to action
Viaduct 110 metres high and 1.9km long!!! The road on the Sydney Harbour Bridge is 50 metres above the water
Download newsletter 8a as a Word document (3MB)
We need your help and we need it now please. The strategy confirmed at our 26th September public meeting was to seek a minimal safety upgrade of the road through the valley and redirect the balance of funds earmarked for the project to enhance rail freight capacity or more appropriate road freight routes like the Bells Line of Road.
Facilitated by the Member for the Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg our colleagues from Blackheath and Mt Victoria met with Minister Campbell on 19th October. In that meeting Minister Campbell acknowledged that the government will be watching carefully the current consultation process being undertaken by the RTA, will strongly respect community views, and are not irredeemably committed to the Mt Vic to Lithgow upgrade. This is our last chance to have our views prevail.
Our immediate need is for residents to respond to the RTA using the letter attached (in addition to any route specific response you have already given). (more…)
September 21, 2009
hhag newsletter 7
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Public Meeting
4pm Saturday 26th September, Hartley School Hall
Consider future direction for Hartley Highway Action Group, Consider possible re-constitution of committee, Consider future strategy for the valley’s defence, join us for afternoon tea from 3.30
The last week of August saw the Honourable Michael Daley, Minister for Roads in the NSW government, make announcements in Mt Victoria and Lithgow in respect of the Mt Victoria to Lithgow GWH upgrade. The essence of that announcement was that the GWH upgrade should be effected within the orange corridor, explaining that “This option has the least combined impact on the many significant issues identified so far in the (RTA) consultation process including local aboriginal heritage and environment considerations, engineering restraints, economic and social impacts and cost.” This is a decision made by political government but clearly informed by the several million dollars of work that the RTA has already completed investigating constraints within each of the four nominated corridors. What we are seeing is a massive acceleration in the process that the RTA has imposed upon us.
(more…)
August 27, 2009
Orange Corridor selected
News release from RTA, Thursday, 27 August, 2009 3:00 PM
Dear residents, business owners and operators,
The NSW Minister for Roads has decided that plans for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway from Mount Victoria to Lithgow will now concentrate solely on the corridor along the existing highway (orange corridor).
Read the Minister for Roads’ news release.
The RTA website will be updated when more information is available.
Please phone 1800 035 733 (toll free), post a letter to PO Box 334 Parkes NSW 2870 or email western_projects@rta.nsw.gov.au for more information on the project.
Yours faithfully,
Cindy Nutley
Communications
Mount Victoria to Lithgow upgrade
August 5, 2009
hhag newsletter 6
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In the last Hartley Highway Action Group newsletter I alluded to the debate the committee has been having to define the principles that underpin our defence strategy.
We are still pursuing the Newnes corridor option and await responses, from both local member and original proponents, Bob Debus and Michael Daley the NSW Minister for Roads, on our demand for further consideration of this option. At the same time we have seen an increasing array of calls for the road to be left on its current line, the latest being local state member Gerard Martin’s references at the 18th July meeting at the school house. For our part we have been endeavouring to build an alliance with the Blue Mountains community where there are eighty thousand voters who will have an interest in the increased use of the highway by heavy freight vehicles and the bigger issue of whether freight should be transported by rail or road.
Before we move to the next stage of developments in respect of the highway ‘upgrade’ we felt it important that we should share the defence principles that have been debated and agreed to by the committee. I will outline them below in full.
July 27, 2009
hhag newsletter 5
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Notice of Community Meeting
Hartley School Hall
Saturday 18th July 4 – 5pm
Invitation to the Hartley Community Public Meeting
Gerard Martin MP, Member for Bathurst, has asked to meet the Hartley community to put his position on the Hartley highway issue. This is a great opportunity to speak directly to our elected State Government representative on this matter and to understand how the Government is hearing our message.
Please come, ask questions and share your concerns.
Everyone welcome
Have your views heard at this important meeting
Much has happened since our late April newsletter calling a Public Meeting 2nd May. That meeting attended by some sixty residents passed a number of motions including a call to have the Newnes option re-examined by government and another motion calling for more direct protest action by the group.
June 25, 2009
hhag newsletter 4
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Notice of Community Meeting
Hartley School Hall
Saturday 2nd May
7.30 to 9.30 pm
Invitation to the Hartley Community to hear the most up-to-date information on the government proposal for a super highway through the valley, to discuss how the community should defend the valley from massive damage, and to agree on actions to be taken by the Hartley Highway Action Group.
Everyone welcome
The Federal Member Bob Debus and the NSW State Government are promoting a massive, half-billion-dollar road construction project through the Hartley Valley, with the objective of enabling heavy road freight to avoid the Victoria Pass and River Lett Hill.
The Hartley Highway Action Group Committee believes that this specific objective could be achieved most effectively, and in the most sustainable way, by connecting the Darling Causeway to the Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo via a new route across the Newnes Plateau.
The Hartley Highway Action Group Committee believes that the current proposal is short-term and short-sighted. Wheat, coal and other commodities should be carried by rail rather than road. Building bigger roads for larger trucks adversely affects communities in Hartley and the Blue Mountains, damages the environment and fails to deliver the only sustainable long-term solution for heavy freight.
Since our last newsletter in January, the Hartley Highway Action Group Committee (HHAG) has met on four occasions. In that time a founding member of the committee John Trehy has resigned due to other commitments. On behalf of the community we thank John for his contribution. Maintaining our strength Jeremy Dawkins who has a wide experience as a leader in state planning, has joined us.
