Council to host WestConnex Public Meetings
Tuesday 14 November 2017
Council will host two special public meetings for residents in Lilyfield/Rozelle and Leichhardt to discuss the serious impacts of WestConnex in the local area and what Council is doing to oppose the project.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said the meetings will outline the key findings of Council staff and Council’s consultants from their assessment of the Stage 3 (M4-M5 Link) Concept Design and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
“At these meetings, Council officers will detail the issues and answer residents’ questions that relate to their neighbourhood, including air quality, traffic and construction impacts,” he said.
In particular, the meetings will discuss:
- Emissions and visual impacts from exhaust stacks proposed at Rozelle Rail Yards and Victoria Road near Terry Street
- Roadside emissions, noise and congestion impacts from likely additional traffic on Victoria Road, Anzac Bridge, The Crescent and Johnston Street
- Construction impacts from multiple construction sites
- Visual and other impacts from permanent motorway support facilities on some of the construction sites
- Acquisition of commercial and residential properties
- The potential for cracking of buildings in all areas above WestConnex tunnels, particularly in areas where tunnel depths are shallow.
Cr Byrne said the newly elected Inner West Council recently voted to oppose this reckless and wasteful project in its entirety.
“We are also putting forward new and detailed proposals to reduce the devastating impacts of WestConnex, if it does proceed,” he said.
Council’s submission on the Stage 3 EIS includes demands for:
- Filtration of all ventilation stacks, as well as in-tunnel filtration
- A night-time curfew on construction works from contractors and utility companies
- A ban on heavy vehicles on local roads
- Full funding of traffic calming in streets identified by Council that may be affected by traffic ‘rat runs’ from WestConnex.
Public Meeting one - Rozelle Impacts, 22 November, 6.30-8pm Jimmy Little Centre, 19 Cecily Street, Lilyfield.
Public Meeting two: Leichhardt Impacts, 28 November, 6.30-8pm
Sydney Secondary College Leichhardt Campus, 210 Balmain Road, Leichhardt.