Residents angry over 'surprise' port powerline plan

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The Courier Mail
Page 9  11mar04

Brendan O'Malley

WYNNUM North residents are up in arms about a proposed 6km-long powerline they claim energy distributor Energex had kept quiet about.

The 110,000kV powerline to supply the Port of Brisbane would be carried on 30m power poles and come within 40m of some houses in an upmarket bayside estate, one homeowner has claimed.

Amelia McWilliam, of Constellation Way in North Point estate, said the proposal was not being planned when building started on the estate nine years ago.

She said locals had been led to believe the rail corridor would be part of a council-state government green belt.

"The first time anyone heard about this was when it was raised at a Port of Brisbane community meeting, even though the powerline actually ends there and will be undergrounded at the port," Mrs McWilliam said.

The maps they pulled out at the meeting were more than 10 years old and didn't show the new homes which have gone up near the railway corridor where they want to put this."

Mrs McWilliam said about 500 homes would be affected.

She said the area contained gum trees up to 30m high -- some of which would have to be felled -- and the endangered Wallum froglet which was at the centre of the dispute about the stalled Tugun bypass on the Gold Coast.

She also was worried about potential health effects.

Energex regulatory compliance manager Richard Raymond confirmed the issue was first raised at a port meeting but said since then there had been a meeting at Constellation Way. Plans would be posted publicly this month.

He denied the powerline would come closer than 120m to homes although he said clearing was unavoidable in some areas.

Mr Raymond said the 33,000kV line was undergrounded because of pelican strikes, but with the larger spacing of the 110,000kV line this was not expected to be a problem.