Ring Road row — Albany landowner cites noise, roos, spillage and unpaid compensation

An Albany Highway resident says he is yet to be paid for land taken from his property for the construction of the Albany Ring Road, as he takes his dispute public a year after construction started. Tony Davis says he has watched, heard and felt the progress on the second stage of the ring road from his home next to the construction site. He says sediment spillage, rogue kangaroos and constant vibrations have left him frustrated and out of pocket. Construction of the long-awaited second stage of the Albany Ring Road began in September last year, 13 years after completion of stage one in 2007. The second stage, scheduled to be finished early next year, will extend Albany Ring Road south from Albany Highway to Lancaster Road. Construction of the third and final stage from Lancaster Road to Princess Royal Drive is scheduled for completion in early 2024. Stages two and three, which have received $175 million in Federal and State funding, will complete a project designed to take heavy vehicles off residential roads and provide a direct freight route to Albany port. Farmer Tony Davis and his wife Vivienne have watched, heard and felt the progress from their home next to the huge construction site. Mr Davis said he had made an effort to support the project by providing a water supply through his farm to the offices on Link Road but he was not prepared for the reality of living next door to the construction. “The constant construction noises, vibration, dust in the drinking water, on the washing and in our house in summer, then the stench of rotting clay, and mud walked into the house from our vehicles while trying to get in and out of our property in winter, is all very challenging,” he said. “Our deepest sympathy goes out to those people unfortunate enough to be in the pathway of this project, where, in our opinion, after 23 years of taxpayer-funded planning, all these anomalies should have been avoided.” Mr Davis said that earlier this year a deluge of clay sediment seeped on to his property from the construction site causing his paddock to remain muddy and waterlogged to this day. “Clay sediment from the Ring Road site was noted by MRWA as potentially containing acid sulphate soils, and was required ‘to be retained’ on the construction site,” he said. “The sediment is choking our box culvert and is over our paddock. The clay sediment now extends over the entire flood plain of our Albany Highway property, part of our neighbour’s property and soak, then into Willyung Creek.” Main Roads WA spokesman Dean Roberts said MRWA was “aware of sediment encroaching on a number of properties adjacent to the Albany Ring Road alignment”. “Our contractor Decmil has committed to address the sediment when weather conditions are more favourable,” he said. “At the completion of the current works there will be a number of basins, weirs and silt traps that will reduce run-off intensity and retain sediment in the basins on site. “Main Roads has not encountered any acid sulphate soils and has noted that this is a low-risk area.” Mr Davis said he was yet to be paid for land taken from his property in September last year to be used in the project along Link Road. He said the construction footprint was also encroaching on to his property “outside of the approved and published proposal area for the Ring Road” released to surrounding property owners in 2019 by the State Government. However, Mr Roberts said Main Roads had made compensation offers to the landowner and construction was occurring on land acquired by Main Roads. “The adjacent landowner has been forwarded copies of the design being implemented,” he said. “Negotiations relating to the payment of compensation have been ongoing with the landowner’s representative for a considerable period of time. “Offers of compensation have been made to the owner and Main Roads is waiting for a response from the owner to its latest offer to facilitate payment.” Mr Davis said “most of the 200 kangaroos” that had been “relocated” by MRWA from the construction site had now moved on to his property and surrounding farmland, destroying pasture, fencing and posing a traffic hazard. Mr Roberts said the agency’s selected strategy for moving kangaroos on from the construction area was to remove food and water from the area, and to shepherd the kangaroos out of the work area. “Gradual relocation of the kangaroos has been largely successful with approximate numbers diminishing from estimated 300 to 80,” he said. “Management of the broader kangaroo population beyond the project area is a long-term structural issue, which requires consideration by the relevant authorities. “Private local landowners are responsible for securely fencing their properties and paddocks, noting the pre-existing concerns about the volume of kangaroos in the area.”