By Anna Greer
The State Government will officially call for expressions of interest on May 6 for the construction of a deep water port at Port Bonython.
The call will come only two days after a government led public information session is held in Whyalla about the development.
Resident John Sowerby who is strongly against the development of the Point Lowly Peninsula said that the session is token and isn't actually community consultation.
"It's a make you feel good session," he said.
"If the majority of people want the development at Point Lowly to go ahead, I can wear that, what I can't wear is government and big business doing things without consulting with the people - that's criminal.
"It's an information session, it's not consultation and the people of Whyalla deserve consultation not just information.
"They're elected and paid to represent the people."
Project director for the Office of Major Projects and Infrastructure Robert Jenkins, said that the call for expressions of interest is not quite the death knell for the area that it may seem.
"The expressions of interest are simply, at this stage, to seek names of companies who may be interested in developing the harbour," he said.
"A shortlist will be made of companies interested in the development and the usual processes will then have to be undertaken.
"Those companies will then have to go through all the consultation process of community consultation and environmental consultation.
"There is no guarantee at this stage that any project will proceed.
"We are totally open (to community opinions), that's the reason we are having an open day.
"This is the first stage of a series of community consultations that will be held.
"The information session wasn't held earlier because the project proposals were still in the commercial in confidence stage, now there is information available that can be released.
"We are there to hear back from the community and we are there to listen as much as to say what's going on."
Development proposed for the area includes a desalination plant, an ore export jetty, kingfish harbour and a fuel refinery and tank farm.
Western Plains Resources, who want to use the harbour to export iron ore, revealed that expressions of interest for the port development will be called for next week.
"WPG will take an active role in this process with a view to influencing the scale, scope and timing of the proposed port development," a report stated.
A second fuel refinery has been proposed for the area but that is one project the public won't hear about at the information session as it is still in the commercial-in-confidence stage.
"A company has registered interest but it's at the pre-feasibility stage, very much embryonic," Mr Jenkins said.
Member for Giles Lyn Breuer will speak in Parliament about the proposed industrialisation of the Point Lowly Peninsula in the next couple of days.
Ms Breuer is not against the development per se, she is however against the development as it currently stands.
Ms Breuer and Whyalla City Council would prefer the development took place on industrially zoned land 15km from Port Bonython that is currently part of the planned Cultana defence training range expansion.
"I think we have to get the message home to the government that we are not opposed to development, we just want alternative development and to have a look at that," Ms Breuer said.
"The information day is really important for the community to come and find out what is proposed.
"It is an opportunity for the community to have a say on how we feel about it.
"We will have a limited recreation area in the future in that pristine area if the development goes ahead.
"To take away that valuable resource from us would be most unfair.
"I don't believe all is lost, we still have the opportunity to have our say and I will be leading that process.
"I'm not going to take this lying down.
"We have dealt with iron ore and fugitive dust for many years now and I don't want to see a similar environmental disaster at Point Lowly."
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