I am opposed to the general premise of the business case to the Beaches Link. There is no true benefit to the northern beaches nor Seaforth. I am very concerned about breathing in NO2 and fine particulate matter. I thought this was a lovely place with fresh air. It wont be any longer. I am 93 years old. Unfiltered stacks are completely unacceptable. I fully support the submission associated with my address and am identified as a sensitive receiver within it. .

We write to express our strong objection to the Beaches Link Tunnel and the repurposing of what is now the Balgowlah Golf Course for the following reasons;

At the outset of the project there was never any intention to interfere with the Balgowlah Golf Course and adjacent oval. It was only when one group of residents complained loudly (and successfully) to have the project moved from their backyard that it turned up in our backyard!

We purchased our property in good faith with its views over the golf course. There were never any plans to change the golf course. The current proposal removes a significant number of trees from the golf course, in particular a massive and majestic gum tree that provides shelter to our home from the hot western sun. This tree along with many others is home to significant bird life. A previous proposal showed open grassland as our new outlook. The current proposal shows a utilities building and car park. We object strongly.

We understand that the project will take at least 5 years to complete. During that time we will be impacted by the continual noise associated with the construction, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We work from home on a regular basis. The continual construction noise will make that extremely difficult. Our streets will be clogged with additional traffic - trucks, worker vehicles and the like. Residents will be severely impacted with lack of parking for their own vehicles.

We own an east/west house with sliding doors at each end. It is designed to allow the flow of the northeaster through the house during Summer. During construction we will be forced to keep our windows and doors closed to keep out the dust and try and reduce the noise level.

The decision to purchase our home was greatly influenced by the outlook. That outlook over the 8th green of Balgowlah Golf Course materially influenced the price that we paid. Your plans to completely destroy the current outlook have had a material impact on the value of our property. See attached photo. We object first and foremost to the proposed decimation of the Balgowlah Golf Course and everything contained therein. We object to the significant pain, discomfort and stress that you are imposing on our family for the 5 - 7 years of construction. And we object to you significantly affecting the value of our primary asset - our home!

We are highly sceptical of the claimed benefits of the tunnel to the broader Northern Beaches community. For those that can afford the toll it may make it easier to move around Sydney, however many people will find the toll too expensive and continue to use existing routes. The Northern Beaches is not equipped to deal with a significant influx of vehicle traffic.

What would really benefit the Northern Beaches community would be light rail, similar to what has been introduced to other parts of Sydney.

We ask that you please consider the significant impact your plans for the Northern Beaches Tunnel and specifically Balgowlah Golf Course are having on our family, our lifestyle and our finances.
Thank you

I am strongly opposed to the proposal in its current form as the environmental, public health, societal and economic costs of the project are unacceptably high and the benefits questionable. In particular, there is significant impacts on biodiversity and water quality, at, adjacent and downstream of all the proposed sites. The significance of these impacts, at both the construction and operational phase of the proposal, have been clearly identified and quantified in the EIS.
The EIS makes numerous subjective claims regarding the severity of biodiversity and water quality impacts. Impacts on terrestrial biodiversity are highlighted by the quantum of ecosystem and species credits required for offsetting. The impacts are ‘direct’, meaning complete destruction and removal of bushland, habitat and fauna residing in the construction footprints and ‘indirect’, meaning the detrimental flow on effects from construction activities and the operation of the road. Avoidance and mitigation should always take preference over offsetting. And if offsetting has to be used it should benefit the sites or areas which are being so dramatically impacted (destroyed) by the construction activities and road operation.

Due to the sensitive nature of many of waterways downstream of the sites, TfNSW should be looking to achieve neutral or beneficial impact on water quality, at both the construction and operational phases. At present the modelling in the EIS indicate this is not the case and this is unacceptable.

Furthermore, the EIS fails to make the case for the Beaches Link as a transport solution for the Northern Beaches; ignores support for public transport solutions; ignores recent shifts in working patterns; reveals serious risks to the health, safety and amenity of local residents during both construction and operation and fails to provide accurate air quality data

I object to this project for a number of reasons:
• Business case
o Everyone should be worried when their government refuses to release the business case. Withholding information from the public who are the actual people paying for the proposed Beaches tunnel is highly suspicious. One has to ask the question ‘why isn’t the business case easily public accessible?
o Where are the forecasted figures for how many commuters would take the tunnel from Manly Vale? I can see that commuters living further up the peninsula such as Dee Why and further north could possibly choose to take the entrance to the tunnel on Wakehurst parkway but I question whether commuters further south would use the tunnel starting at Manly Vale. Is the tunnel from Manly Vale required, is there sufficient data supporting this?
• Health concerns
o Physical health: International studies have shown the dangers to health, particularly in children, of being near many open lanes of traffic. This includes increases in asthma and impacts on child brain development. The entrance on Burnt Bridge deviation would increase traffic lanes from 6 to 12 near a number of schools, including a traffic light, and add a nearby smoke stack. We should not take risks when it comes to childrens’ health and safety. This was the position expressed by Planning Minister Rob Stokes, when he was Education Minister, stating: “I won’t be party to putting stacks near kids … There is no way in hell that I’d support any development¬ that would put the lives of pupils, teachers and parents at risk”. In addition to this, the earlier plans for the tunnel, shared with Seaforth Public school community indicated that the tunnel entrance would be further from the school compared to the latest plans. Now the Environmental Impact Statement indicates that the tunnel entrance, including 12 lanes of traffic, smoke stack and related construction works, with impacts for air quality, noise and vibration, will be directly parallel with the school. While modeling indicates air quality may improve slightly for the school area, that is based on expected traffic patterns. Actual traffic patterns will depend on many factors, such as whether good public transport options are created through well-designed and well-used express bus services through the tunnel, which have yet to be determined. The planned privatisation of NSW bus services adds more uncertainty and cause for concern for that factor.
o Mental health – the path next to Burnt Bridge Creek provides residents with a safe and shady area to exercise and commute either by walking, cycling or exercising your dog. It increases our mental health being and has provided a vital function during the lockdown and also afterwards when more people are choosing to stay at home and work. Having 96% of the water disappearing once completed will reduce this area’s appeal and health benefits.
• Public transport – With the plans of increasing dwellings on the Northern beaches and particularly around the Northern Beaches Hospital, more people will need to commute. The future for commuting should be through improved environmental friendly public transport, not for people travelling in individual cars. Prior to committing to developing a $14 billion dollars tunnel, a more thorough review on alternative public transports needs to be completed and shared e.g. a train line from Chatswood to Dee Why following Warringah Road with a stop a the hospital might be a viable option. We should ensure public transport is working prior to committing to building the tunnel. The B-line seems to have improved the commute for certain commuters but for the community of North Balgowlah the opposite has in fact occurred. Changes to NSW buses in late 2020, without community consultation, has left commuters with unreliable buses (either late or don’t show up) and a trip to the city taking 10 to 15min longer (one way) and that excludes the time walking to the bus stop since the bus stops have also changed. Balgowlah is the one of the communities that will also be most affected by the actual building of the tunnel i.e. our roads will be used for trucks (even though exact roads have not yet been determined), how long will a trip to the city take during the many years of building the tunnel? We’re also the community that probably won’t’ save time on taking the tunnel but paying for it in all other aspects. What will be done to reduce travel time particularly during the many years it will take to build the tunnel?
• Environmental impact
o Burnt Bridge creek that runs through North Balgowlah is home to a range of animals and flora. It’s a vital ecological corridor of regenerated habitat. The construction and tunnelling activities are projected to reduce the natural water flow of the creek by 79%. This will have a devastating effect on the plants and animals that currently rely on the creek. As part of construction, approximately 400,000 litres of wastewater per day will be discharged into the creek from the site that will run into Queenscliff lagoon. The site is categorised as flood-prone, and it is unacceptable for any waste water, pollutants or contamination by construction soils to enter the creek system and impact all catchment areas downstream. The NSW government claims that 90% of the site will be returned after construction as public green space, however this is only achieved by the acquisition of 34 homes on Dudley St, and the community questions how usable this green space will be next to large roads and an unfiltered exhaust stack.
o Middle Harbour - Sediment samples revealed levels above safe guidelines of heavy metals, mercury, lead and pesticides. If released during dredging, these would have devastating impacts upon the seagrass, aquatic life including endangered marine species such as the White’s seahorse, and people enjoying swimming, boating and fishing in the surrounding areas of the Spit, Clontarf, Beauty Point and Sailors Bay.

I am opposed to the general premise of the business case to the Beaches Link. There is no true benefit to the northern beaches nor Seaforth. Unfiltered stacks are completely unacceptable. I fully support the submission associated with my address and am identified as a sensitive receiver within it. .

Objection: Beaches Link Tunnel
We are the residents of Westlake Place, Balgowlah. Our community is located in the area labelled LCA 50.1 and located on the Western side of Wanganella Street between Sydney Road and Brighton Street, right next to Balgowlah Golf Course (BGC). We are a close-knit little community that’s has been and is still being torn apart by this proposal. We have recently seen a number of the community who have lived here for many years move on partly as a result of this proposal. New families have moved in who are equally upset by the significant impact this project would have on their lives for years to come.
We write to express our strong objection to the Beaches Link Tunnel.
It is proven globally that the toll road construction projects like this increase air pollution, encourage more car use and soon fill the increased road capacity they create. These projects also severely impact the lives of people surrounding the construction zone for years and then also impact them once the tunnel is in operation.
This submission lists some of our objections
This Project:
• Fails to adequately address the real impacts to our cul de sac, especially noise, air quality and health impacts, we are particularly close to the construction sites and once in operation the unfiltered exhaust stack.
• Introduces risks to our properties as our homes are located in the area highlighted in the EIS as at risk of damage from vibrations, settlement and ground movement.
• Has impacted and will continue to impact the value of properties close to the construction sites. Property owners are disenfranchised in their financial life choices for the many years between this proposal being put on the table and its completion and potentially beyond;
• Does not mandate the filtration of exhaust stacks, at a risk to public health including children at local schools, day care centres, and local families. There are families with young children in Westlake Place situated within 500 metres of the suggested unfiltered exhaust stack location. In addition to those in Westlake Place there are many schools and families situated within 500 metres of the suggested unfiltered exhaust stack location. The exhaust fumes will affect the health of literally 10s of thousands of children. We are extremely concerned by the inconsistencies of the modelling in the EIS with regard to the RWR receptors in BGC, which I understand is the modelled exposure to serious pollutants on the local residents from the exhaust stack in BGC. This inconsistency adds the lack of confidence in the modelling numbers from the exhaust fumes withing the BGC valley.
- The exhaust stacks in BGC MUST be filtered, if it cannot be filtered the tunnel should not be built;
• Is not justified by any publicly released business case.
The Balgowlah Golf Course (BGC) site which will be used as a tunnel excavation site will place our small community under unacceptable pressure for 7 years or more due to:
• Excessive construction noise over at least 7 years. Excessive noise causes stress, impacts sleep and reduces quality of life. Ongoing noise can seriously impact people's mental health.
• Ineffective dust mitigation, a large amount of dust is expected to be generated by tunnelling, truck movements, earthworks concrete manufacturing and the very fact that some of the spoil is intended to be used to flatten the site for post build reconstruction. Our households are likely to not be able to open doors and windows or hang washing outside for much of the construction period (over 7 years).
• Increased truck movements. The Project will generate 495 heavy vehicle movements and 1195 light vehicle movements per day at the Balgowlah Golf Course site which is already subject to capacity traffic movements at both Sydney Road and Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation. - Increased traffic on local roads and truck stack parking decreases existing residential amenity and lessens land value. It also puts the safety of our local children at risk.
• Construction workers parking in our cul de sac and local streets and trucks parking in local streets waiting to pick up spoil will significantly affect the ability of local residents to find a place to park their vehicles - The contractor must be required to provide parking for 100% of workers on site to protect resident amenity. Local Government must Introduce local resident parking zones and monitor illegal parking.
• Both during construction and when in operation the increased traffic on Wanganella Street will result in us not being able to exit from Westlake Place into Wanganella Street in times before Covid 19 it was a problem but the traffic numbers then would have been much less than when Wanganella is being used as a rat run and also as a way of access the tunnel.
• Westlake Place is highlighted in EIS documents as being expected to suffer during the construction phase of 7 years from intolerable noise, vibration, dust and light impacts this will make our lives in some instances unbearable. Construction fatigue at varying levels would be expected to be experienced by our community. All of this will result for example in a lack of sleep and an inability to focus on work tasks; mental health etc.
• Westlake Place is highlighted in EIS documents as being expected to suffer when in operation from ambient light; noise from playing fields not currently experienced. There is an assumption made that the proposed new playing fields would be seen as preferrable to the exiting golf course. All of this will result for example in a lack of sleep and an inability to focus on work tasks. We do not agree with this assumption and questions its basis.
• Parking in our cul de sac by users of the proposed post construction sports facilities would significantly affect the ability of local residents to find a place to park their vehicles – The Northern Beaches Council must introduce local resident parking zones in the area and monitor illegal parking. The parking period should be 1 hour maximum as 2 hours would not prevent non locals filling the availabke street parking.
• Post completion the proposal is to reconfigure the current natural looking landscape full of trees and flora and fauna, used by many local residents including those in Westlake Place into a collection of car parks, playing fields and amenity buildings. Noise from shouting and whistles associated with many sports will negatively impact some residents. The proposed configuration will introduce ambient light and direct light at night to a number of residents who do not have any such affects currently. This will affect them significantly and options for adequate alternatives or compensation from the Northern Beaches council or NSW Government should be offered to affected residents.
• Stress as a result of the proposal and construction has and will continue to have an impact on the mental health of some in our community.
• The visual representations currently presented in the EIS do not correctly portray the visual impact of the motorway facilities building and exhaust stack in the Balgowlah Golf Course to the surrounding properties. A number of properties in Westlake Place will be able to see the exhaust Stack from their homes we do not accept the impact of this on their lives, health or property value.
• Potential impacts to our properties in terms of damage from vibration or changed water table. The EIS shows that some of our properties fall into the area of suffering potential cosmetic damage from vibrations. The NSW Government or the tunnel contractor MUST offer the services of an independent specialist to prepare a report of the pre-construction state of the resident properties prior to commencement of the project at no cost to the residents. We expect that the NSW Government or construction company will pay for repairing to a proper standard any damage to any property.

For and on behalf of the owners and residents of:
1 Westlake Place, 1/2 Westlake Place, 2/2 Westlake Place, 1/3 Westlake Place, 2/3 Westlake Place, 1/4 Westlake Place, 2/4 Westlake Place, 5 Westlake Place

The Project team has failed to constructively involved the local residents of Serpentine Cres to alivate concerns around noise and vibration. Virtual community forums were highlevel and answers failed to address specifics. Serpentine Cres less than 100m from construction site) on noise, the existing noise wall currently contains a 40m gap that the plan fails to address no assurances have been given to residents about quality of life living with 24/7 construction noise. Furthermore no decision has been made on traffic movement routes for the trucks and support vehicles. Will Serpentine Cres be off limits to employees working on the tunnel with respect to parking?

Tunnelling at 10-15m below ground results in vibration outside of acceptable levels for human comfort.

Air quality concerns from unfiltered stacks so close to 4 public schools and numerous child care centers.
EIS fails to acknowledge International studies about air quality.
Disappointing that the project plan sees the entrance moved closer to Seaforth School.
Double standard within political circles here also with the Premier and Other Ministers now (once in power) supportive of unfiltered stacks.

Concerns for the eco system and natural water table once the work hub site is established.

No real evaluation of additional public transport options considered.

I object to the project. There is no reasonable benefit for this outdated concept. THe traffic reduction will be minimal.

The impact of dangerous unfiltered stack emissions on the local children, of which I have three, is terrifying and unjustified. Please consider filtering stacks. The environmental impact on the local flora and fauna is unacceptable. Manly dam is a wonderful local area of significant value.

The construction noise is not acceptable and unjustified.

With Cammeray being inundated with young families I have grave concerns to the disruption and health risk that these works will create for our children’s future. The smoke stacks need to be filtered with consistency to health check the quality of air being submitted from these now and in future.