Atmosphere
Page 102
Industrial - residential Interface
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield has significant industrial-residential interface
issues throughout the Council area, including in the areas of the Lefevre
Peninsula, Birkenhead, Wingfield and Kilburn.
The Birkenhead area has historically had a number of conflicting land uses.
When the industrial areas and port-related activities were being developed
during the early 1900s, it was standard practice for residential premises for the
working population to be built adjacent to the large industrial operations, which
also included the logistics and fuel storage and distribution depots. The area
also includes a large number of transport-related combustion sources including
rail, heavy vehicle transport, shipping and domestic vehicles. These combined
sources can significantly impact on local and ambient air quality.
The expectations of the community and the regulators have changed
significantly in recent decades, however, and there is now an understanding
that the health and well being of residential and occupational populations should
not be significantly impacted on by un-managed industrial activities. The legacy
of the close location of these often incompatible land uses is difficult to manage
in a contemporary setting, and requires sound strategic land use planning and a
long term strategy to be in place at State level. This is particularly important in
the coming decade where increasing industrial presence is expected along the
eastern side of the Lefevre Peninsula, with accompanying expanded transport
activities (See section on Human Settlements).
The EPA has developed
Separation Distance Guidelines
which can be used by
planning authorities, and are required on the basis that industrial activities
cannot be undertaken with optimum emission control conditions in all
circumstances. The Guidelines are designed to be:
•
Simple for all parties to be able to easily determine compliance.
•
Transparent - separation distances are reproducible and consistent for all
proposals with similar configurations.
•
Cost effective - expert air quality or noise advice should not be required
and
•
Generally more conservative than the separation distances predicted by air
pollution or noise modelling for high percentage of proposals (EPA)
‘Buffers’ or separation distances are not an alternative to source control and
cleaner production methods. They are means of reducing the effects of residual
emissions.
The EPA Guidelines apply to new industries/activities and redevelopment of
existing industries/activities for which development authorisation is required
under the Development Act, and are not to be applied retrospectively to an
existing industry or activity.
