The biggest obstacle standing before the development of Mungari Industrial Park has been cleared with the surrender of a portion of a mining tenement on the proposed site.
State Development and Kalgoorlie MLA Ian Taylor said co-operation between LandCorp, the Department of Minerals and Energy and the joint venture partners who hold the exploration licence had removed a major impediment to the proposal.
Mr Taylor said the joint venturers, Afmeco Pty Ltd and Mineral Commodities, relinquished a portion of the licence after a study showed there were no commercially viable minerals on the area required for the 830-hectare site, 25km west of Kalgoorlie.
"The mining companies were extremely co-operative during their gridding and soil sampling study, which showed that the site contained no valuable minerals," he said.
"This absolutely critical step brings Mungari Industrial Park closer to reality. It also allays any concerns that the site may be of commercial mineral value."
Mr Taylor said a community consultation committee was established earlier this year to oversee development of the park.
"The committee, which is represented by a number of organisations, including Goldfields Against Serious Pollution and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, has worked efficiently to ensure all appropriate studies and approvals are in place," he said.
"All we need now is final environmental approval to go ahead with an industrial project which will provide jobs, opportunities and an economic boost to the region."
Mr Taylor said he expected there to be few environmental objections to the development.
"The Consultative Environment Review, which is now out for public comment, has been generally well received," he said.
"The review found that the environmental impact on the site would be negligible.
"Of course, all public submissions on the review will be taken into account by the Environmental Protection Authority when it makes the final assessment before making a recommendation to the Environment Minister."
Mr Taylor said a number of industries would be targeted specifically for location in the park as part of a marketing program to be implemented early next year.
