The epicentre of their trips in the Manning Valley is the truck depot in Elizabeth Avenue and it is currently the base for a fleet of 28 trucks.

The days of seeing Pearson's B-double trucks carefully crossing Martin Bridge and rolling through the urban centre of Taree could become a thing of the past if it builds a new truck depot at Cundletown.

For years there has been talk of a Northern Gateway Transport Hub at Cundletown, promises of money from the federal and State governments have come and gone, but this week, a first step in the process to try to transform the area, is on the table for community consultation.

A rezoning application is required to the Greater Taree Local Environmental Plan 2010 to enable the approval of the Jim Pearson Transport depot in Emerton Close, Cundletown. It's not the Northern Gateway Transport Hub, but it's a proposal that could be a catalyst for more investment and more interest in the Manning Valley as a viable location for a transport hub in NSW.

The seven hectares of land owned by Jim Pearson Transport needs to be included in the General Industrial zone and currently it is used for rural residential and hobby farm purposes.

Greater Taree City Council will closely monitor community response as it regards the relocation of the Jim Pearson Transport depot to Cundletown as complementary to its long term objective to develop a 67 hectare parcel of land at Cundletown into a freight transport facility, truck depot, transport depot, warehouse or distribution centre - the Northern Gateway Transport Hub. The proposed Jim Pearson Transport depot adjoins that 67 hectare parcel of land and is regarded by council as a good fit for the projected future use of land in the area. Indeed council this week promoted it as "paving the way for the proposed Northern Gateway Transport Hub".

Cundletown residents will have the opportunity on Thursday, March 17 to meet with representatives of Jim Pearson Transport and council to discuss the rezoning application and proposed development. The meeting will be held on site at Emerton Close, near the intersection with Princes Street from 4pm to 6pm.

The decision of Jim Pearson Transport to try to relocate its truck depot from Taree to Cundletown forms part of its plans to expand.

Stage one of the development would see 24 trucks using the depot on a daily basis, with stage two to include a mechanical workshop and later stages to include a truck wash facility and an increase in the number of trucks to around 50, according to a traffic impact assessment report. Currently, the Taree depot accommodates a fleet of 28 trucks.

Traffic management is regarded as a "key matter", according to the proposal.

"The proposal delivers local and regional traffic benefits and improves the efficiency of freight transport generally. It provides a facility for a regional transport company that provides freight transport between Sydney and Brisbane and for centres along the Mid North Coast and North Coast areas ... by placing the trucking depot adjacent to the main regional route, removing the need for trucks to deviate onto local and regional roads to access services."

The depot proposal seeks to reduce the impact of noise with the construction of an acoustic barrier along the Emerton Close frontage and the report says "it is important to ensure that the surrounding residential, school and motel are not detrimentally impacted."

The meeting on site is one method of community consultation and education that has been flagged during the 28-day consultation period with "surrounding residents" to be invited to attend by letter. The proposal will also be on council's website and on display at the administration building.

GREATER Taree City Council’s senior leader planning and environmental services, Richard Pamplin, says the rezoning application is “an exciting progression for the Northern Gateway project, it’s very much a concrete step towards it becoming a reality.”

Manning Valley Business Chamber economic development manager, Steve Attkins says the success of the rezoning application will be critical to future development opportunities.

“Pearson’s is the first of two planning proposals required for the transport hub. The second will open the area up to a broader range of transport businesses and is expected to follow in coming months,” Mr Attkins said.

Mr Attkins and the Economic Development Partnership Board (EDPB) flagged the relocation of the Jim Pearson Transport depot with the Manning River Times in December 2014.

At that time EDPB chairman, Neil Hanington said, “We have 472 major truck movements through the CBD per day and of those, 150 truck movements are Pearson Transport trucks and B-doubles. They can only go through Purfleet and over the bridge and they can only go back the same way,” he explained

“It’s going through the business centre, past the hospital. Pearsons said that the development would save them money through time on the road and it’s also going to take a lot of pressure off local roads.”

Mr Attkins says Jim Pearson Transport is committed to the Manning Valley with 70 of its drivers living in the region.

“One of the challenges for long haul businesses in this country is maintaining drivers. They are away from home, they are away from their families and they tend not to have longevity,” Mr Attkins said.

“What Jim is about is that he looks after his staff, tries to make sure that his drivers are happy. He’s looked at the fact that 70 drivers live in the Manning Valley.”

Submissions can be emailed to tareecouncil@gtcc.nsw.gov.au or posted to Greater Taree City Council.

Council advises that after community consultation, the proposal will be considered by council, and if approved, a submission will be made to the State government for the zone change. The submission process runs through until Tuesday, April 5 2016.

ainslee.dennis@fairfaxmedia.com.au