The National Trust is thrilled by news that Pacific National have withdrawn plans to develop a freight rail terminal in the critically endangered Western Basalt Plains Grasslands of Little River. This is an outstanding win for the the Little River community, and in particular we applaud the Little River Action Group for their determination in petitioning against the development.

The National Trust has supported the Little River community in their fight against the Little River Logistics Precinct, in August we released the following statement:

The National Trust believes the proposed location for the Pacific National freight hub in Little River is inappropriate and would place further unnecessary pressures on an already critically endangered ecosystem.  

The Western Basalt Plains grasslands support a significant number of threatened plant and animal species and is recognised as being one of the most endangered vegetation communities in Australia. With less than one per cent of original grasslands remaining in the state, the proposed logistics precinct would see further detrimental impacts to this already severely degraded and fragmented significant landscape. 

We find it unacceptable that applications for the development of an intermodal freight facility in this designated Green Wedge Zone have been progressed when preliminary flora and fauna surveys found critically endangered species would be impacted. 

At a conservative estimate, the proposed footprint for the Little River Logistics Precinct will result in the disappearance of over 80 hectares of native vegetation. This is an unacceptable loss that cannot be appropriately offset elsewhere. – Justin Buckley, Executive Manager – Gardens and Landscapes, National Trust of Australia (Victoria)