COMMUNITIES in Glenwood, Manor Gardens, Umbilo and Ridgeview Gardens are urged to raise their concerns about the proposed expansion of the Port of Durban at a public meeting to be held next week.

The meeting, hosted by the Trucking Action Group, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), and other community groups, will take place on Wednesday, September 30, at 17:30 at Sica’s Guesthouse in Manor Gardens.

The meeting will focus on the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the proposed expansion of the port.

SDCEA will brief residents on the SEA process, its scope and opportunities for community participation, while participating community groups will outline local concerns and experiences relating to port-related trucking, logistics and their impact on residential areas.

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During public consultations in August, consultants outlined the proposed developments and the scope of the assessment. However, community representatives said they were advised that existing problems would not form part of the assessment and should instead be addressed directly with the Transnet National Ports Authority.

The groups said this approach was concerning, as existing trucking and logistics impacts could not be separated from future port expansion.

“The future expansion of the port cannot be considered in isolation from the road and logistics network that supports it,” the organisations said.

Residents have raised concerns about heavy trucks travelling through residential areas, including congestion, road blockages, road safety and pressure on local infrastructure.

The groups also highlighted concerns about the growth of warehousing and logistics activities in the Congella area, as well as logistics businesses operating in or close to residential neighbourhoods.

“We do not believe that heavy logistics operations and businesses intended to service port traffic should be operating in residential neighbourhoods,” the organisations said.

They are calling for a co-ordinated approach to port expansion, logistics and transportation planning. “The future of the Port of Durban must be planned together with the future of the communities and road networks that support it,” they said.

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