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Blacktown Mayor Steve Bali. Blacktown Mayor Steve Bali. Featured

MAYOR SLAMS AIRPORT PLANNING

Residents "treated with contempt"

By Di Bartok

THE people of Western Sydney have been “treated with contempt” in the Badgery’s Creek airport EIS process, says Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali.

In fact, the riled-up mayor has likened the process to the popular television character of the 1960s - Mr Squiggle.

“A team of Mr Squiggles is writing the Badgerys Creek EIS,” Clr Bali said in a release to WSBA.

“They have been repeatedly caught out changing the EIS after being criticised or when false statements are discovered.

“For example, we issued a media release based on EIS maps showing landing planes would be at 2,000 feet (600 metres) above Blacktown when on approach to Badgerys Creek.

“It got a strong run and people were upset about the low flights and the noise.

“Within 48 hours, the map is changed to read 2,500 feet (760 metres). “This sort of cover-up erodes any faith or trust we had in the process.

“If it were a company prospectus, ASIC or Fair Trading would be prosecuting.”

Clr Bali said there was no integrity in the EIS process.

“Mr Squiggle would be proud of the way its authors constantly scribble and edit, trying to keep it as beneficial as possible for the development.

“As I said before, it is an Airport Justification Statement rather than an Environmental Impact Statement.”

Clr Bali also pointed out that Blacktown residents will have even greater noise and disruption that those in the Blue Mountains.

“The Mayor of Blue Mountains is rightly upset about planes at 10,000 feet (three kilometres) … we have them at 2,000 feet (600 metres),” he said.

“The people of Western Sydney are being treated with absolute contempt in the so-called consultation process. The current EIS has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese.”

Blacktown Council has made 30 recommendations in its submission to the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development on the exhibited draft Western Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement.

“Additional EIS Additional EIS work is needed,” Clr Bali said.  “The limitations and omissions here are simply too egregious to ignore.

“The Federal Government must take responsibility here – Blacktown residents need to be able to trust the EIS. “Right now there is no way anyone can.”

Impact on Blacktown

●    Blacktown will cop the most noise.
●    Aircraft will descend from 10,000 ft at Blaxland to 5,000 ft over Penrith, then to 2,000 ft over Eastern Creek in Blacktown.
●    More than 140,000 existing residents and 15 suburbs will be exposed to noise levels of between 60dBA (equivalent to noise in a busy office) and 75dBA  equivalent to noise by a passenger car/vacuum cleaner).
●    Draft EIS underestimates the impact on air quality of stage one by 300 per cent.

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editor

Publisher
Michael Walls
michael@accessnews.com.au
0407 783 413

Access News is a print and digital media publisher established over 15 years and based in Western Sydney, Australia. Our newspaper titles include the flagship publication, Western Sydney Express, which is a trusted source of information and for hundreds of thousands of decision makers, businesspeople and residents looking for insights into the people, projects, opportunities and networks that shape Australia's fastest growing region - Greater Western Sydney.