WestConnex slashes car parking spaces in Rozelle
Friday, 10 May 2019
The Berejiklian Government has failed to carry out yet another legal requirement of the WestConnex project approval, this time backing away from providing 400 car parking spaces for workers building the Rozelle Interchange.
With 1,500 staff working on the construction of the largest motorway interchange in Australia in the Rozelle Railyards, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) required that these parking spaces be provided to prevent workers competing with local people for parking in already crowded residential streets.
In a community briefing this week the agencies building the interchange, John Holland and CPB Contractors, have confirmed there will be no new provision of parking spaces at the site.
“With the election out of the way, Gladys Berejiklian is now getting straight back to her war against the Inner West,” said Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“As required by the Government’s own EIS, not providing these 400 parking spaces shows utter contempt for local residents and will have a disastrous impact on residential parking in Rozelle, Lilyfield and Annandale.
“With 1,500 workers descending on this site each day, 2,000 daily truck movements around the site and no new car parking spaces there, the result will be a perfect storm of traffic and parking chaos.
“The Government is failing us yet again.
“Similarly, before the election Jamie Parker promised he could stop WestConnex, but now it seems he can’t even hold the Government to their own commitment to provide adequate parking spaces. It’s simply not good enough.”
The contractors also revealed they will need to dig a large trench along Norton Street, Henry Street and Lilyfield Road for an underground powerline to power the Rozelle Interchange site. This could result in huge sections of footpath being dug up creating disruption for residents and businesses.
In recent weeks the Government has backed away from a number of requirements contained in approval documents for the WestConnex project.
They have failed to provide two dedicated public transport lanes on Parramatta Road as they are legally required to, and have backed away from the legal requirement of a pedestrian and cycling link in the Rozelle Rail Yards.
For more information, email John Roper at john.roper@innerwest.nsw.gov.au