By Grace Keyworth
Negotiations between Actew and landholders in Burra directly affected by the Murrumbidgee to Googong transfer pipeline are still not finalised.
Actew’s communication and governance manager, Chris Webb, said yesterday (29/04/10) that Actew has been negotiating with seventeen landholders in the Burra region to agree where the 11-kilometre pipeline will be laid.
Mr Webb said Actew had approached landowners and offered compensation for the land the pipeline would run through.
“We indicated to them that we were wanting to go across their land and we had a process for doing that,” he said. “The biggest thing with the process is that we’re trying to a reach voluntary agreement.”
He said where voluntary agreement could not be reached, they will ask the NSW Government to compulsory acquire the land on Actew’s behalf under the NSW Pipelines Act.
“There are some of them that are opposed to the project and they’ve indicated that under no circumstances will they agree to a voluntary acquisition…” he said. “What we then need to do is go through a compulsory process of acquiring that land. So the landowner is still compensated but …effectively we will ask the NSW government to acquire it on our behalf under the Pipelines Act. ”
Burra landowner Kerry Bos has lived on his forty acre Williamsdale Rd property for 28 years and is still negotiating with Actew about the compensation for the kilometre of his land the pipeline will run through.
“We’re in the middle of a discussion about the piece on the other side of the road because we have an application in to subdivide that title,” he said. “When that happens, the block will be subject to a separate compensation and we’re just discussing the mechanics of how that will be sorted out.”
Mr Bos said that Actew had also offered to replace the old fence they needed to pull down to lay the pipe and also fix some of Williamsdale Road.
Mr Bos said he understands the need for the pipeline project to go through but it is impacting on his lifestyle.
“I’m a little irritated by the fact that our lifestyle is being interrupted,” he said. “It’s not only that they’ll lay a pipeline, but I have to be here at certain times to meet with people, and sending emails back and forwards…and do a whole lot of things I would rather not to have to do.”
Mr Bos is also concerned on how the pipeline will affect his ability to sell the land he is waiting on subdivision approval for. He said he doubts he would get the current market value for that land if construction were taking place on the block when he is trying to sell it.
The Murrumbidgee to Googong Water Transfer Project is part of Actew’s water securities program. The transfer project involves moving water from Angle Crossing on the Murrumbidgee through 11 kilometres of pipe to Burra Creek where it will flow down the creek into Googong Dam.
Mr Webb said the original plan was for construction to be starting now, but unexpected difficulties in the approval process involving the Federal Government means that construction was not likely to start until at least September.
