NorthConnex

To Whom This May Concern, 8/09/14

I am a resident of the property XX Loch Maree Avenue Thornleigh and I am writing to express my concern over the proposal to construct the Trelawney Street Tunnel support facility. As you can see my family will be one of the most directly impacted by the current design of the proposal due to the close proximity of the facility to our property.
I am very concerned at a couple of matters that will arise in terms of the current flow of traffic for the heavy vehicles as depicted on the recent information flyer that was sent around to our homes. The non-stop flow of heavy vehicles will not only cause difficulties in terms of the level of noise, but it will also lead to another danger in terms of physical safety for my young children who are 1 and 3 years old.
When we originally moved to Loch Maree Avenue, one of its major attractions was that it would be a place where my family would be able to live in relatively peaceful surroundings, free from the noise of the traffic from main roads. Having lived on this property for five years, we are still able to hear low level noises at night that sometimes interrupts the sleep of one of my children. I cannot imagine what the situation would be like if the trucks were given access to our small street at all hours of the day. Unbroken and good quality sleep is a crucial part of a child's development, and for the safety and well-being of our children, we strongly ask you to reconsider the design of the current proposal.
The safety of my children as the cross Loch Maree Avenue is also an issue I would like to address. My children are members of the Chinese and Australian Baptist Church that is located directly opposite to your compound. To attend weekly meetings as well as the church service, my children will have to cross the road to attend. I understand that there will be pedestrian lights installed, and although I do supervise my children closely, I fear that being so young in age; they may stray onto the road and into the flow of traffic. This has not been a concern with the current flow of traffic, but if heavy vehicles are given access to our street, I am fearful at the real possibility for harm that presents itself.
Crossing the street is a very serious concern for our family as my children's grandparents live across the road in the town houses. My children cross Loch Maree Ave multiple times on a daily basis to see their grandparents, who currently provide for their care the days my husband and I are at work.
I understand that there was a previous design that was drawn up regarding this compound, in which the heavy vehicles were to enter and leave the compound from Pennant Hills Road. I am not sure what happened to this plan and why it was replaced with the current design that is presenting such a high level of distress to local residents.
As a mother of two young children who will live within close proximity to the compound and the endless stream of trucks that will pass by on our small street, I cannot imagine the prospect of protecting the well-being and safety of my family with the current proposal. I ask you to seriously reconsider your plan of allowing heavy vehicles to enter into Loch Maree for the sake of the young families who will be personally and deeply affected.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can say or do regarding this matter, as once again I cannot conceive of this plan going ahead in its current form.

Respectfully yours,

Object . Please check PDF attached.

I endorse the caps group submission in its entirely

Object the current NorthConnex with regard to the site of the northern portal at Wahroonga. See attached PDF

Object the current proposal of northern stack at Wahroonga. Please refer to the enclosed PDF

uploaded PDF attachment

Object the site of the proposed northern stack at Wahroonga

We are sending this again because we are not sure you have received our previous submission.

Object the placement of northern stack too close to residential areas. Attached PDF

Please see points outlined in the attachment.

The health threat to residents in Wahroonga and to travellers in the tunnel is too serious to contemplate the project as it is proposed in the NorthConnex Application Number: SSI 13_6136

Refer to attached file

See submission uploaded in pdf format

SCAPS Group is a group of concerned residents living in the area around the proposed southern stack. We have a number of concerns that are covered in our submissions. Our concerns include the unfiltered carcinogenic pollution that will envelop this area (and the area around the northern stack). Other countries successfully filter tunnels, WHY DON'T WE????? This will be the longest urban road tunnel in the world and Australia must do it properly. Please refer to our submissions for more detailed explanations of our issues.

A number of people are endorsing our submissions and we will forward their details to you by 12th September.

Thank you.

Please refer to the attached submission

Please refer to the submission contained in attachment 1

I am a resident of West Pennant Hills, living within 500m of the proposed southern stack. I am extremely disturbed by many parts of the NorthConnex EIS. Most importantly, there is no plan to filter the stacks. Our government cannot let the longest urban tunnel in the world be built to third world standards. Let's show that Australia is a World Leader and improve on the successful filtration being done around the world. I am also deeply disturbed by the lack of transparency and what appears to have been fairly blatant lying by omission that has been evident during my conversations with NorthConnex staff at their information sessions (most notably that they did not once admit that they owned land on the Pennant Hills Golf Course side of Pennant Hills Road when I asked them more than 6 times to put the southern stack on that side of the road. They continually said it made more sense to put it on the residential side of the road because they already owned land there . . . and I have since discovered that they also own land on the golf course side of Pennant Hills Road).
I hope that you will listen to the grave concerns of all residents affected by this UNSOLICITED bid.
Regards,
Kim.

Please do NOT put an unfiltered stack on my doorstep. See the attached issues I have with the NorthConnex proposal.
Thanks,
XXXX

OBJECTION

See attached pdf

I endorse the attached SCAPS Group submissions.

I am a resident of Karloon Road which is on the proposed route for construction traffic to enter the site at the southern end of the tunnel. I am concerned for my young family due to the disturbance due to noise, and the impact on our health with so many trucks passing directly in front of our home and lining up to enter the site.

I am unconvinced by the vague and non-committal mitigation measures.

This residential street during peak hours often has low air movement and pollution is already noticeable from light vehicular traffic at morning peak hours. It is already hard enough to exit the driveway in the morning without additional heavy goods traffic which will be particularly polluting as the vehicles need to stop start to climb the steep incline along Karloon Road. Other alternatives are available that do not impact on residential streets.

I am very much aware through my work in providing a healthy built environment and speak to architects regularly on this subject. I am fully aware of the impact on health from road traffic and am aware of the negative impacts from all traffic and in particular from diesel emissions on Pennant Hills road as traffic is backed up from the M2 to the lights at Eaton Road. I welcome efforts to reduce this impact.

Although I understand there are reduced emissions on a macro level along the route where traffic will be reduced, these emissions will be focussed at a micro level on the communities surrounding the unfiltered ventilation stacks.

I would like to see a written statement from NorthConnex that thus is not the case and personal guarantees from all Transurban and the M7 Westlink directors against future medical claims. Likewise all directors should disclose how far away from either of the ventilation stacks they reside.

NorthConnex have been very unconvincing in arguments presented to convince me that the risk is minimal, and have been unable through the EIS and subsequent public forums to provide clear and evidence based arguments.

The argument that domestic fires contribute greater levels of macro pollution than traffic is not an argument to permit any source that contributes less than domestic fires. This is an argument to regulated against domestic fires. For example in many urban areas in the UK the burning of regular house coal and logs is not permitted.

I have lived in countries overseas where filtration is used in tunnel projects and the health of local residents has a higher priority than value for money estimates. The southern stack should located, not in the most cost effective and convenient location for NorthConnex but in a location that has least impact on local residents. The stacks must also take advantage of the best available filtration technology.