City of Rockingham votes to support tyre recycling facility

Councillors from the City of Rockingham have voted unanimously to support the development of a tyre recycling facility.

The proposed site on Lot 12 Lodge Drive and Lot 13 Lodge Drive, East Rockingham, will encompass about 11.9ha.

The site was previously used as a wool washing building in 1994-2004.

A development application was approved by the city in July 2022, which included three warehouse buildings and 80 car parking bays. Amended plans to meet design and landscape requirements were received in February.

The facility will be used to recycle waste tyres for shredding and extraction.

Once processed, tyres will be turned into small rubber granules and meshing to be sold locally and internationally for reuse on road treatments, recreational surfaces such as gym and playground flooring, and concrete additives.

The project went out for public consultation in March and residents in the area were notified in writing.

Three submissions received in the consultation period raised concerns about potential impacts from odour and noise from the facility, as it will operate 24-7.

The proposal will be subject to Environmental Protection Authority policy.

One of its guidelines requires industrial developments to be at least 500m from surrounding properties to mitigate noise and odour.

The site is about 700m from the nearest dwelling and will operate similarly to the neighbouring Hope Valley and Naval Base facilities.

The city has been told the facility will not burn or process any tyres that will cause hazardous odour emissions.

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation did not raise any concerns.

To mitigate bushfire risks, the facility’s bushfire management plan will require all staff to be trained in fire and safety procedures. There will also be six fire hydrant outlets, a fire hydrant monitoring system, onsite sprinklers and thermal cameras.

The city believes the facility is compatible with existing and future industrial development in the East Rockingham Industrial Area.

Councillor Leigh Liley said she was happy with the conditions imposed on the project as it was “precarious” to have such a facility so close to the community but raised questions about the environmental noise report and bushfire risk management.

“A risk assessment should be done every year (with) how catastrophic it can be if it went up in smoke,” she said.

Planning and development services director Peter Ricci said extensive plans had been submitted to the city that addressed fire risk management concerns and had been signed off by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

Mr Ricci said noise management would be monitored for 30 days before being reviewed and changed as necessary.

The application will now go before the Joint Development Assessment Panel on May 9 for further assessment.