Gonneville is a proposed nickel-copper-PGE mining development approximately 70 km north-east of Perth. The proposal includes an open pit and/or underground mine, processing and other mine infrastructure, as well as off-site infrastructure for water and power. The proposed open pit mine adjoins Julimar Forest.

No. Gonneville is still undergoing environmental assessment and has a long way to go before any sort of approval. The WA EPA requires a Public Environmental Review, including an eight-week public review period, and the Commonwealth has determined that the mine development requires thorough assessment and approval under the EPBC Act

Because the potential impacts are not confined to the mine pit. The EPA has identified potential significant effects involving air quality, flora and vegetation, terrestrial fauna, inland waters and social surroundings. Community concerns also include the proximity of proposed infrastructure to homes and semi-rural residential areas, property impacts, traffic, noise, dust and cumulative impacts across the whole proposal.

Gonneville requires substantial infrastructure outside the mine site. Chalice currently proposes an approximately 27 km, 132 kV dual-circuit power connection with future proofing capabilities mentioned, to Muchea and an approximately 63 km pipeline carrying treated recycled water from Alkimos. A preferred corridor has been identified with part of it cutting through private landowners properties and protected habitat which includes active Black Cockatoo breeding hollows and also cuts through several working farms.

That question has not yet been satisfactorily answered in the publicly available material. Chalice says its preferred route was selected using engineering information, environmental surveys and landholder feedback, but that does not by itself explain why particular alternatives using existing disturbed or infrastructure corridors were rejected. That is one of the questions this website will continue to investigate

Yes, potentially. The Commonwealth determined the mine development to be a controlled action partly because of potential impacts on listed threatened species and ecological communities and listed migratory species. The WA EPA has also identified terrestrial fauna and habitat clearing or modification as issues requiring assessment.

Potentially, yes. The EPA specifically identified inland waters as a preliminary key environmental factor, including potential changes to hydrological processes. The environmental assessment must examine those impacts before a final decision is made.

The WA assessment requires an eight-week public review of the Environmental Review Document. The project has not reached final environmental approval, so the public assessment process is not over.

Not publicly.

Chalice's current public information says transportation corridors are still being designed, with road and/or existing rail options being considered. The EPA proposal documents also do not identify a final product haulage route.

However, information about potential transport routes has been discussed with some government and local-government stakeholders while the wider community has not yet been given a definitive public route.

That matters because the eventual route could affect communities well beyond the mine site through heavy-vehicle movements, road safety, noise, dust, intersections, bridges and local road capacity.

Until a route, expected vehicle numbers, vehicle types and operating hours are publicly disclosed, communities along potential routes cannot fully assess how Gonneville could affect them.

The question remains: if potential routes are sufficiently developed to discuss with stakeholders, when will the same information be released to the communities that may be affected?