Day: June 10, 2015

OPPONENTS to a container port at Hastings are being warned not to give up the fight just because the state government plans to lease the Port of Melbourne with guarantees of no competition for 50 years. The Preserve Western Port Action Group wants the government to “pursue sustainable developments that support the tourism and recreational boating industries” as an alternative to further industrialising Western Port. The group was Infrastructure Victoria to begin its assessment of whether Bay West in Port Phillip or Hastings is the best location for the state’s next container port. “Detailed submissions will be sought and the…

THE latest studies into rising sea levels show beaches and foreshores will be affected throughout Western Port, with the biggest loss of land to inundation occurring in the northern section of the bay. While beaches from Somers to Flinders with steeper foreshores will in large part retain their existing profiles, erosion is expected to increase as cliffs become more exposed to the sea. The studies also warn that underground water supplies will increasingly be salt affected. Land surrounding the bay’s tidal channels, such as those at Hastings and Merricks Creek, will also come under increasing pressure from rising levels in…