A $50 million rail terminal and business park proposed for Rutherford could mean hundreds of new jobs for the region, the proponent of the plan says.
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However the environmental cost of the project still needs to be determined.
Lycopodium Rail will submit an Environmental Impact Statement to the state government later this year for an intermodal terminal at Rutherford complete with a rail yard and train maintenance facilities, about three kilometres of extra rail line, roads and a business park.
The company is in the early stages of working through the proposal for the 164 hectare site with the government.
Managing director Stuart Sutherland said he expected the project would create 10 to 20 full-time jobs in the train maintenance facility.
But he said the 25 hectare business park, which would be known as Rutherford Park, had the potential to deliver hundreds of jobs for the region.
“The site is located between the New England Highway and the Main Northern Rail line [near Maitland Airport, 9km west of Maitland CBD],” Mr Sutherland said.
“Its location in the Lower Hunter means it’s well-placed to lend itself to a rolling stock maintenance facility.”
The ministers for planning and the environment will have the final say on the project because it is considered a state-significant development.
The company received a list of requirements from the NSW Director General in December after it submitted a preliminary environmental assessment.
The assessment will outline the possible impacts on air quality, traffic, air traffic safety, water and soil contamination, noise, biodiversity, heritage, visual amenity, waste and hazards.
It’s likely that about 2.5 hectares of Lower Hunter spotted gum ironbark, an endangered species, would be cleared to make way for the development.
Community consultation will also be involved in the process.
“This process must ensure that the community is both informed of the proposal and is actively engaged in issues of concern to them,” a letter to the company from the NSW Department of Planning noted.
“Sufficient information must be provided to the community so that it has a good understanding of what is being proposed and the potential impacts.”
Mr Sutherland said he expected it would take about six months to respond to the requirements and would likely take another 12 to 18 months until construction work could begin.
