Community leaders such as Mayor Jim Pollock and Member for Giles Lyn Breuer said they were pleased with the number of people who turned out for the information day on the industrialisation of the Point Lowly Peninsula.

“This information day in my opinion has been very, very successful,” Mayor Pollock said.

“There has probably been in excess of 150 people that have passed through here today and it just shows you the keen interest that the community has in particular in the Point Lowly Peninsula.

“It’s a playground, if you like, that this communtiy wants to protect but we also once again welcome development that may occur out there.

“All we are asking for, as a council, of Planning SA and other agencies is that council be considered, be consulted, be informed and be included in any discussions that may go on from here.”

Ms Breuer said she was very pleased with the number of community members who went to the information day but she still has major concerns with projects proposed for the Point Lowly area.

“My concern is that this has been sold as an information day rather than a consultation - so already we are being told what is proposed, not being asked or consulted about what we would like to see out there,” she said.

“I’m also concerned with some of the information that has come through but also some of the information that’s not being told.

“I think there’s a big gap there between showing us a few maps and telling us what the real story is.”

Council and local government representative, Lyn Breuer noted the conspicuous lack of a Defence Department representative at the information day.

Council have concerns about the defence department expansion of the Cultana training range encroaching too closely on Whyalla’s boundaries and taking away valuable industrially zoned land.

Project director from the Office of Major Projects and Infrastructure, Robert Jenkins said that none of the projects proposed for Point Lowly are able to go on the industrially zoned land 15 kilometres away from Point Lowly, currently part of the defence range expansion.

“All of the projects that are proposed for Port Bonython cannot be moved anywhere else,” he said.

“These are the projects that do need to be in an industry port area, these are the projects that need access to deep water.

“Before anything is built on the entire Port Bonython Peninsula full environmental studies would have to be undertaken and nothing will be approved without them.”

Mr Jenkins expects that it will take two to three years to build the port and in the meantime Western Plains Resources and Centrex, from the Port Bonython Bulk Users Group, who wish to use the port, will have to find alternative means for export.

Western Plains Resources chairman Bob Duffin said that if the port takes any longer than two years they will start to ship their iron ore from Darwin.

“There is nothing else in South Australia that has access to deep water, is linked to the rail network and where all the land is owned by the government and is already zoned for industrial purposes,” he said.