Proposed Site Compound Impact on Westleigh Community

1. ETTT Alliance proposed site compound – Quarter Sessions Road, Westleigh Community impact, alternative sites November 2013

2. ETTTA Proposal Site compound use: • Stockpiling, workforce car parking, lay down and storage and crushing and sorting excavated material (i.e. sandstone) from the rail corridor. • Site compound operating hours: • Staff presence: 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday –Friday and 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday. • Construction activities: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday –Friday and 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturdays. • During rail line shutdown periods, site will be in outside the above hours including use at night. • Impact on local traffic: • ETTT Alliance Letter indicates up to 60 heavy rigid tipper trucks per day and 20 heavy truck-and-trailer vehicles per day. • In addition, approximately 80 vehicles for the Workers who will park at the compound before being bussed out to the rail corridor. • Duration site will be in use: • Until the end of 2016 with peak usage in 2014 (assumes no schedule delays).

3. Concerns from Westleigh/Thornleigh Residents The traffic impact of the proposal • Excessive traffic on residential roads unsuited to heavy vehicles of this volume (i.e. Quarter Sessions Road which is a single lane each way). • The EIS states “heavy vehicle movements during construction are estimated to be, on average, 12 movements per hour (six arriving and six departing) eight hours per day and five days per week. Vehicle movements are considered to be at their maximum during bulk earthworks required as part of the proposal. This would result in approximately 15 to 20 movements per hour’’. THIS EQUATES TO TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY per day or ONE TRUCK MOVEMENT EVERY 3 MINUTES over an 11 hour day. This assumes all trucks leaving the rail corridor will carry excavated material to Westleigh. • Quarter Sessions Rd narrows on the approach to the proposed compound entry point and is just past a crest in the road and is therefore in a dangerous location considering the volume of traffic. • The constant heavy vehicle movements pose a safety risk to other motorists and public buses. There is a school bus stop in close proximity to the proposed site access road – a heavy vehicle and school bus could not pass safely at this location. • The intersection of Quarter Sessions Road and Duffy Avenue will be adversely affected – it is unlikely that a truck and trailer type vehicle could safely navigate the roundabout at this intersection where there are two pedestrian crossings used extensively by Thornleigh West Public School children and parents in the morning and afternoon. • Quarter Sessions Rd is the only access into the north of Westleigh and the Westleigh Rural Fire Service base is located on Warrigal Drive directly west of the proposed compound. The high volume of additional truck and light vehicle movements, particularly around the proposed site access, will create congestion – of particular concern during a bushfire emergency.

4. Concerns from Westleigh/Thornleigh Residents Pedestrian and cyclist safety, particularly, school children • The pedestrian crossing on Duffy Avenue is only “manned” with a traffic controller before and after school, however, the crossing on Quarter Sessions Rd is not. Heavy vehicle trucks passing through this intersection and the high volume of truck movements, will result in a serious safety risk to school children and other pedestrians. Site compound proposed hours of operation • The proposed hours of operation from 6.00 am to 8.00 pm Monday-Friday and 7.00 am to 1.00 pm Saturdays are unacceptable and will unreasonably disturb residents early in the morning and late into the evening. These hours of operation are also outside the approved construction hours under condition E1 of the Conditions for Consent for the Project which are 7.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday-Friday. Noise and vibration impacts both of truck traffic and site compound activities • Crushing and sorting excavated material (sandstone) on the proposed site will generate excessive amounts of noise and vibration over an extended period of time each day for the duration the site will be in use. The high volume of heavy vehicle truck traffic will also create significant noise which will have a detrimental impact on all residential properties adjacent to Quarter Sessions Road and Duffy Avenue.

5. Concerns from Westleigh/Thornleigh Residents Air quality impacts • The proposed use of the site and trucking of excavated and processed material has the potential to generate significant dust. Also the considerable volume of heavy truck movements will lead to an increase in fumes which will lead to potential short term breathing and long term health impacts. Likelihood of asbestos fibres present in excavated materials including topsoil • ETTTA can not give an assurance to residents that the excavated material sourced from the rail corridor will not contain asbestos fibres when dumped on site to be processed. ETTTA themselves acknowledge the use of asbestos in freight train brakes over decades along the main northern train line and the risk of it contaminating the Westleigh site and local residents’ properties during the dumping/processing activity is far too great to take the risk. Westleigh Sydney Water site was not identified in the original Environmental Impact Statement as a construction compound The EIS has not considered the environmental impacts of the Proposal therefore a full environmental assessment should be undertaken and made available for public comment as part of the community consultation process for the proposal and prior to the ETTTA seeking approval for use of the site from the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.

6. Concerns from Westleigh/Thornleigh Residents Flora and Fauna Impacts • Hornsby Shire Council Westleigh Local Environment Study PLN407/98 in section 5.0 headed "Areas that are Unsuitable for Development", states that "The Study notes comments from Sydney Water that the reservoir on its land will be required for the foreseeable future and that a buffer should be provided between the reservoir and any future development. The study also states that the development on parts of the Sydney Water land is constrained by remnant vegetation along its Western, Southern and Eastern boundaries which contains endangered ecological communities and species that are to be retained." • The Construction of the Westleigh Compound will directly affect the areas outlined by Hornsby Shire Council that are "endangered ecological communities and species that are to be retained." Land Contamination • Hornsby Shire Council Westleigh Local Environment Study PLN164/99, in the Section titled “Land Contamination”, says “The LES comments that part of the Sydney Water land was also used as a night soil depot where waste from septic systems was deposited on the land. As a result, the area in which night soil was disposed has the potential for soil contamination. Migration of leachate from the night soil area may also result in soil or water contamination.These concerns highlighted in previous Council Local Environment Studies, and concerns by Sydney Water about the security of the reservoir, have contributed to the fact that no development has occurred on the Sydney Water land.

7. Proposed location - Sydney Water site and distance to closest residences 140m 50m (as per Google maps)

8. ETTTA – noise maps The ETTTA claims the noise level will be 50-55dB(A) during the daytime at the closest residential property boundary (refer to Intrusive noise L A eq (15min) graph). According to the NSW Government EPA’s Industrial Noise Policy, Acceptable noise levels from industrial noise sources in suburban areas are 55dB(A) during the day. This appears to be right on the threshold with no margin.

9. ETTTA – noise maps The ETTTA claims the noise level will be 45-50dB(A) at night time at the closest residential property boundary (refer to Intrusive noise L A eq (15min) graph) . According to the NSW Government EPA’s Industrial Noise Policy, Acceptable noise levels from industrial noise sources in suburban areas are 45db(A) in the evening. It appears this will exceed the night time threshold.

10. Condition E29 of the Conditions of Consent As the Sydney Water site was not identified in the original EIS for the Project, Condition E29 of the Conditions of Consent must be satisfied for any proposed Ancillary Facilities. The site fails to satisfy conditions E29 (d), (f) and (i) and therefore CAN NOT be approved.

11. Impact to Westleigh – representative vehicles (rigid tipper truck)

12. Impact to Westleigh – representative vehicles (truck & trailer)

13. Alternative Locations & benefits - Mt Kuring-gai Industrial Estate • Hornsby & Mount Kuring-Gai railway stations are just a few minutes away from the Mt Kuring-gai Industrial Estate and are well-serviced by buses (Route 597 TransdevTslShorelink Buses). • There is no traffic congestion allowing workers to enjoy abundant, unrestricted street parking in this dedicated industrial zone. • The nearby M1 Pacific Motorway ramp provides easy access to the major road networks providing a relatively short trip to Thornleigh and the rail corridor using Beaumont Rd, Pacific Highway, the M1 Pacific Motorway and Pennant Hills Road (national truck routes). • Hornsby & Mount Kuring-Gai are a unique gateway to both Sydney and the Central Coast. • 30 - 40 minutes from Sydney CBD and right on the M1 Pacific Motorway. • The area is extremely well serviced by the large skilled and semi-skilled workforce from the Central Coast who commute to Sydney daily yet can effectively avoid the traffic at the Wahroonga Interchange. • Benefit from the minimal restrictions and traffic thanks to the absence of any residential interface. • Co-located with many other industrial based businesses (electrical, geotechnics, engineering, drilling, construction machinery, pumps, steel, etc).

14. Alternative Locations & benefits – M2 Corridor • Another viable option is the now unused M2 widening compound on the corner of Delhi Rd and Epping Rd, North Ryde. • The benefit of this location is that as most of the fill will be coming from between Pennant Hills and Beecroft rail lines, trucks will have access straight onto Beecroft Rd and then onto the M2 to Delhi Rd. A much easier route as it avoids residential areas, 50 km/h streets and is much easier for the trucks to use. The M2 of course also has the benefit have having built in sound barriers as well. • There is space there (currently zoned Urban Activation) that could be leased back and used for the site compound.

15. Alternative Location – Mt Kuring-gai Industrial Estate Notes: • Map shows route from Pennant Hills Rd to Mt Kuring-gai Industrial Estate on Beaumont Rd; • Uses Pennant Hills Rd, M1 and Pacific Hwy - suitable for large trucks; • No residential areas are passed; • Distance is 15.6km or about 14 mins drive); • Distance covered offset by time and fuel used while trucks sit in traffic in Westleigh trying to exit Quarter Sessions Rd, Duffy Ave onto Pennant Hills Rd

16. Warning about any perceived “Sweetner” In some forums there has been mention of using large quantities of spoil (approx 35,000 m3) from the excavated material to fill in and level out sections of the Westleigh site rather than trucking it away for disposal with the intent that this could also be used for future re-development of the Westleigh site for sporting and recreational use as a “benefit” to proceeding with the proposed site by the ETTTA. Issues identified include: • High risk of contamination of the soil with asbestos from the material obtained from the rail corridor. • Will take 5+ years (and Westleigh residents will have endured during that time huge inconvenience, intolerable noise and traffic impacts through site activity and truck movements and placed residents safety at increased risk through the enormous volume of traffic and unsuitable use of an industrial site in a quiet residential area). • Will still need funding approval – not guaranteed by Government. • Many residents would not obtain any benefit from having the area re-developed into sporting ground. • The area has already been rejected in the past (1998 for housing development and 2003 as an off-leash dog area) and as it was previously used as a tip and night soil depot (land contamination) and Sydney Water previously had security concerns regarding the proximity of the Water Reservoir.

17. Next Steps Confirm the use of the Mt Kuringai Industrial Estate as the first option or M2 corridor as a second option. Perform a full environmental Impact Assessment and Construction Environmental Management Plan including: • Undertake a Traffic Impact Assessment for Westleigh • Undertake an Acoustic Impact for Westleigh • Undertake an Air Quality Assessment - dust (incl asbestos), fumes at Westleigh, and • Undertake a Flora and Fauna impact Assessment for Westleigh.