A lot of money has been spent by the government killing foxes at north head in order to protect the Penguin habitat. Also there have been countless hours spent by volunteers endeavouring to save the Penguins from further attack, and now the colony exposed as " critical habitat" has been destroyed. I don't think the proposal to cease co management of the Q station, nor the introduction of a music venue will aid in restoring this habitat.

Please see submission uploaded as PDF attachment.

I am making this submission to strongly object to the proposal to introduce ambient dining music to the outdoor eating area of the Boilerhouse restaurant.

While the report has also failed to convince me there will be no adverse impact to the local Little Penguin population my major concern is the lack of any mention or discussion of the noise impact to nearby residential areas.

While the Q station is not located in a residential area it is of course very close to the water which will spread and amplify any outdoor music to residential areas in both Addison Road and Stuart Street.

Ambient noise levels around Little Manly drop to very low levels in the evenings when the wind dies down and the beach is empty. If a boat moored near the Q station plays music the sound travels across the water and can be clearly heard from houses that face in that direction. The same thing will happen with the proposed outdoor music at the Boilerhouse restaurant and it will occur all year long.

The report itself states it is the only proposal with potential impact to the site's natural and heritage features :

Of the modifications to existing conditions of consent contained in this proposal to the DPE,
only one, relating to the proposed approval of ambient outdoor dining music, has any potential
for impact on any of these significant natural and heritage features.

Given the above and the risk of noise impact to both the Little Penguin population and nearby residential areas it seems odd to me that this has even been proposed. Surely most visitors go to Q Station for some peace and quiet and are not interested in outdoor ambient music when they can instead be hearing the sounds of the waves and the calls of the Little Penguins.

See attached file

We wish to submit an objection specifically relating to the OUTDOOR MUSIC item in this modification proposal. We feel that any outdoor music is totally unnecessary. We are also concerned that outdoor music will disrupt the tranquility of the Little Manly residential area and may even have a negative impact on the nesting of endangered fairy penguins in the surrounding area.

Dear Karen,
Re Port Kembla Grain Handling Terminal DA 0844/672 MOD 1


I am writing in relation to the above DA, and to object to the proposed lifting of the curfew on grain truck movements to the terminal and to removing the current limit of 200,000 tonnes per year on road haulage of grain to the Port Kembla Grain Terminal.


I believe that lifting the curfew and removing any limit on the amount of grain sent by road to the Port Kembla Grain Terminal would result in the following negative impacts that are not adequately considered or addressed in the DA:


Substantial increased noise for those in the vicinity of the roads used by the haulage trucks, for example Mount Ousley Road and Picton Road.

Curfews are used for good reason - they protect residents from disrupted sleep and poor quality of life resulting from the noise of large trucks. Noise levels have been increasing over recent years with the growing number of coal trucks and car transport vehicles, and are already at very high levels.
The use of compression braking is permitted in NSW and is already very loud at times in many areas near Mount Ousley Road. Use of compression braking at night is even more disruptive than during the day.
No approval for more truck movements, or for removing the existing curfew, should be given until it can be demonstrated that the current regime is effective in reducing noise levels from trucks. I am not aware of any evidence that it has been effective to date.
Increased congestion, number of road crashes, breakdowns and near misses on these already very busy roads.

Mount Ousley Road and Picton Road already support an enormous number of heavy vehicle movements as well as ever-increasing commuter movements to and from Sydney. There are accidents regularly on these roads, including fatalities.
The increasing number of truck breakdowns (two just today, 20 September 2011) cause inconvenience and delay, as well as independently increasing noise levels as other trucks brake to avoid the breakdown zone.
Substantial increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution.

The DA would increase GHG emissions and air pollution substantially relative to alternative transport modes such as rail.
Estimates are that road transport of grain would produce up to three times as much air pollution as transport by rail.
Given the existence of clean energy targets at state and federal levels, and the urgent challenge of addressing climate change, the NSW Government should be taking an approach that encourages and actively incentivises businesses to use rail wherever possible, including by factoring the (relatively higher) external costs of road haulage into fees and charges.

The DA does not consider or provide an estimate of these external costs, which are likely to be substantial and will be borne by the residents of the affected parts of Wollongong and the community more broadly (in relation to GHG emissions), rather than by the applicant.


I believe that both the proposed lifting of the curfew and of the 200,000 tonnes per annum cap on road haulage of grain to the Port Kembla Grain Terminal should be rejected by the Planning Commission for the above reasons.


I apologise for not submitting comments during the consultation period for the DA. The consultation period was only two weeks, and I unfortunately missed seeing it. I believe many of those potentially affected by the DA may, like me, not have been aware of the consultation process or the opportunity to provide input about this major proposed change to the use of roads in the Wollongong area.


Yours sincerely,


Emma Rooksby

155 Cabbage Tree Lane

Mount Pleasant

NSW 2519