The main issues which the local community believes have not been properly addressed are:

Contamination | Traffic | Sewerage | Overdevelopment |Wetlands | Consultation Process |Oversight Committee |Remediation Issues |State of the Environment|Revised TMP |

Table of Issues for Strategy Testing Workshop

Contamination:

The sites are mainly former chemical plants or paint manufacturing plant or are heavily contaminated with waste products from these industries. One of the former plants was Union Carbide. The Union Carbide Group is well known internationally for the Bhopal disaster in India and for supplying Agent Orange for the Vietnam War.  The Department of Urban Affairs and Planning and site owners have not yet engaged with the local community to explain how such a site can be remediated to be fit for residential development and how such remediation of dioxin contaminated land can be carried out without impairing the health of the workers and nearby residents. Winds will carry dioxin contaminated dust during earthworks. Workers on site will be breathing dioxin and perhaps PCB contaminated dust unless fully protected. Most government agencies internationally do not set any "safe" level for dioxins.

The land on which this residential development is to take place is one of the most highly toxic areas of land in Australia. The contaminants include Dioxins from Union Carbide site. The adjoining Homebush Bay has some of the highest contaminations of heavy metals in Sydney. 

Homebush Bay is said to be in the top 5 most polluted waterways in the world according to an article in the Australian magazine.

See the EPA figures on Heavy metals in Homebush Bay on the Contamination page.

The remediation of such land will pose serious health issues to workers and local residents. During the remediation on the Olympic site OCA made false statements about the presence of certain dioxins, residents from kilometres away complained about health problems. The remediation has the potential to be more dangerous to the local community than the contamination!

See a Green Games report on false statements by OCA about Contamination.

Traffic:

The existing traffic studies are deficient in that they fail to adequately address current and forecast developments and traffic movements, and make unsound assumptions about the use of public transport. Figures show only 25% of employed local Rhodes residents travel by train, yet the traffic survey unjustifiably assumes a 37% increase in the proportion travelling by train. With a population of 6000 of whom about half would be expected to be employed that means an additional 2,250 movements a day by road through two intersections, most in peak hour. This makes no allowance for employees coming from outside the are to the proposed commercial developments, or for shoppers to the proposed  about "Carlingford Court" sized development. It also ignores the proposed Shepherds Bay development in Ryde, the proposed Millenium Waters develpment on the Western shore of Homebush Bay,the withdrawal of subsidies for public transport for events after the Olympics and recently approved commercial developments in Rhodes. See the full details on the Traffic Issues

Sewerage:

Material from the EPA shows that Homebush Bay has one of the highest levels of Phosphorous, Nitrogen and Faecal Coliforms of the whole of Sydney Harbour. This proves that the existing sewerage and stormwater infrastructure is inadequate and failure prone. Six thousand people are going to have to live within 300 yards of this wet weather cess pit.

See the EPA figures on Sewerage problems in Homebush Bay on the Sewerage page.

Overdevelopment:

The equivalent of about half the existing population of Concord is to be put into about 10% of the land area. 

There will be only 2 Soccer fields within 5 km. It is even further by road to Rugby (League and Union) and Netball courts. It mightn't sound far, but look at the traffic issues. 

Local residents already complain about 30 minutes to drive 1 kilometre. 

The Principal of Strathfield North public school already has several demountables. Concord West has little unused capacity and will be full when Liberty Grove is fully occupied. Local high schools are already keenly sought after and without obvious excess capacity. 

The local railway service is already one of the worst in Sydney and the line is said to be already at capacity. Local landowners have been advised in writing that land earmarked for duplication of the existing lines is no longer required. Ryde Council has had presentations that cast doubt on any net benefit arising from the Parramatta/ Epping/ Chatswood link, including loss of express services.

Then there are questions of disabled access, pre school, libraries, scouts, community centres, neighbourhood shops and restaurants, recreational facilities and the like. 

There are 6, 8 and 10 storey buildings in a suburb where the tallest habitable building in known history is 3 storeys. 

See full details of the Overdevelopment Issues

Wetlands:

The two most important wetlands within the Sydney basin are located within 5 km of the site. They are the Newington and Bicentennial Park Wetlands. Each of these is home to protected species which will be threatened by the proposed development and the consequential works. There are treaties which protect the habitat of migratory birds. Such a large scale project within 2 km of such a habitat, partcularly where remediation of the sediments in Homebush Bay and the risk of increased sewerage pollution are concerned is a cause for concern.

See full details of the Wetlands Issues

Failure of DUAP to consult properly with the local community:

There are doubts as to whether an environmental impact study was exhibited with the draft REP.

DAUP did not respond at all to most submissions and did not allow any opportunity for the community to respond to the responses to the community submissions. This meant that farcical responses remain in as a justification for allowing the project to be gazetted. As an example, ask yourself how the Western Sydney Orbital Road will have any significant impact on travel times over Ryde Bridge.

There has been a consistent failure to respond to persons making submissions, to provide relevant information and to ensure that copies of relevant documents are made available to the local community.

 The June round of community consultation was completed before DUAP could confirm that relevant materials including the Gazetted plan and supporting studies were in the local library. Minutes of the Community consultation were removed from the DUAP website after only a few weeks. 

See full details on the Issues with the Process

The foreshadowed session on Contamination and remediation has not been held. Is there something being covered up about the proposed remediation?