Plan to Collect Data
This research will be conducted on approximately 10 participants most which will be property owners based in Rozelle, the rest being project managers from WestConnex WCX/ Sydney Motorway Corporation SMC/ Roads and Maritime Services RMS, a real estate agent and a transport planner using face to face interviews with semi structured questions.
Project managers, planners/ policy makers and a real estate agent will be contacted initially via phone call to make further arrangements. Property owners will be approached around public spaces and the interviews will be conducted on the spot.
Property Owners
What was the value of your property before the project started?
Which is the biggest problem that the project has brought to your property?
Have you been compensated satisfactorily?
How do you compare accessibility to your property before and after commencement of the project?
Project Managers/ Transport Planners/ Policy Makers
Which measures do you have for pollution control?
How has the project affected accessibility?
Which zoning changes are expected to occur after completion?
How many properties have been compulsorily acquired?
How do you determine the value of the properties to be acquired?
How do the following issues impact on community amenity– loss of community and services?
- No effort to engage or contact local residents regarding the Iron Cove Link
WCX did not make any efforts to involve residents about construction of this link and residents first became aware about acquisition of their properties through news on television.
- Nearby residents move out due to uncertainty
Residents near the Iron Cove link felt vulnerable as the WestConnex Stage 3 became more imminent because houses close to Victoria road were earmarked for acquisition even before the project was approved in 2018. Those residents became increasingly anxious due to the lack of information and secrecy around the project and future house acquisitions hence they moved out even before the project was approved.
- Communication suspended between residents
When the RMS begun the house acquisition negotiations, residents who were to be directly affected by the acquisitions, were discouraged from communicating with other residents by the RMS using confidentiality clauses. Those residents hence avoided meeting with other locals which ruined the foundation of a cohesive community.
- Houses and businesses acquired prior to Stage 3 WCX approval
More than one year before approval of this stage, many houses owned by long term residents had been acquired and they the houses were rented over the remaining months before construction.
- Residents unable to move due to lower house prices
Local residents, due to the Iron Cove bridge link section, some residents were finding it hard to sell their property based on the proposed plans even at a substantially lower price than neighbouring properties because they are in a high impact zone.
- Disrespect for local residents by WCX/SMC/RMS
Residents in Rozelle attempted to engage communication with the contractors about the project only for the contractors refusing to enter any conversations but instead handing out a WestConnex number to make enquiries. This posed a major communication barrier which aggravated the community further because they had the right to know what is happening on their streets. Initially SMC agreed to have meetings with a few residents which lacked sufficient detail and when other residents with traffic and safety concerns emerged, they were told to write them down for a later response form WCX/SMC which were never addressed later.
- Desecration of business strip on Victoria Rd
The WestConnex proposal has seen the acquisition of a few shop fronts which breaks the business strip and creates a decentralised commercial/retail area, detrimental to local business and owners seeking survival. The situation will worsen when construction begins and post construction especially with the increase in traffic volume and lack of parking, pedestrian friendly spaces, construction, and noise. With all these adverse effects, it makes it impossible to operate a business there. A compensation strategy for existing businesses is yet to be identified.
- Structural concerns during and post construction
One of the major concerns of some residents will be the structural integrity of buildings during and post construction, knowing that the WestConnex project involves underground and much excavation work. Construction vibration or changing soil content may damage the buildings and there was no functional management plan for these risks, any articulated complaints investigation process nor any articulated compensation and remediation strategy.
- Impact on visual amenity and urban design in the Iron Cove Link
Concept designs of the Iron Cove Link presented to the community in 2017 were seriously under-prepared and showed no sensitivity to ‘place’.
- Design does not consider users
The proposed small open spaces located near the busy raod will most likely pose a health risk for children who will use these spaces due to the likelyhood of dangerous invisible particulates of 2.5 microns and smaller. These particulates are harmful for children as they are linked to asthma and impaired lung development.
- Scale of ventilation stacks overpowering
The stacks proposed by WCX drawing are disproportionately high to the rest of the buildings in the area and will cast a shadow at some point over the footpaths and a number of local homes.
Unresolved health/noise/air quality issues
- Threat to Bay Run/King George Park patrons, and to local schools
Building an unfiltered ventilation stack next to the local school, sporting fields and the frequently used Bay Run is unreasonable. Residents will have to consider their health before going outdoors. Callan park is about to be ruined because of increased pollution from the Iron Cove Link.
- Cumulative noise pollution not addressed in the EIS
The proposed substation and ventilation facility at the corner of Springside St and Victoria Rd have not been adequately described in the EIS. There is no detail regarding the decibel level of noise emanating from the substation or the ventilation facility, which is likely to exceed allowable levels for a residential area. There is also an estimated 10 weeks of extreme noise during demolition of the commercial building and preparatory road works for the facility. Then, once this work is finished the residents will also be forced to endure a truck every 3 or 4 minutes for a period of five years. This will put the community under considerable and unacceptable stress. The noise impacts are clearly foreseeable yet there is no plan for residents. Recommendations include RMS releasing details about noise levels for the facility and noise mitigation strategies
- Health issues for the community– dangerous contamination of ex-Tigers site
Architects prepared a Remedial Action Plan which showed high and dangerous levels of toxic materials under the site
- Tigers 8-year dive-site proposal would destroy the Rozelle community
Residents are opposed to using this site as a dive site because it is near Rozelle public School and a busy shopping centre. The proposal will pose risks to the community for eight years and will create safety issues for pedestrians
Unresolved issues in relation to real traffic concerns
- Safety issues on local roads not addressed
Currently, westbound traffic on Victoria Rd is in a 60 km/h zone, and traffic entering Callan St and Springside St turn into 10 km/h shared zones. This is already a very dangerous manoeuvre.
- Loss of parking in local roads not addressed
Loss of parking spots on Toelle, Clubb and Callan Streets is not acceptable mainly due to construction workers and residents are forced to park in other streets until parking becomes available near their homes
- Pedestrian, cycling and public transport amenity compromised
Children from Rozelle Public School and Sydney Secondary College would also face diverted and less safe independent walking routes home should construction proceed.