I strongly object to the entire WestConnex project as the strategic justification is weak. It is a poorly planned project.

Secretary, Department of Planning and Environment, NSW Department of Planning and Environment, GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: WestConnex New M5 EIS, project number SSI 14_6788
I write to strongly object to the WestConnex New M5 for the following reasons:
POOR CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMUNITY
The consultation with the community has been cursory at best and the "dumping" of such an important document as the EIS in the lead up to Christmas for a scandalously short period of public review shows a complete disregard for the community and ideas of consultation generally.
POOR ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES
I object to the bias of the project objectives towards road infrastructure, and the exclusion of other potential solutions such as demand management or public transport infrastructure. The EIS confirms that the project will have significant societal, environmental and economic impacts and these could be avoided by pursuing other approaches. Sydney's population is forecast to increase but increasing private vehicle usage is not a sustainable solution to support this population growth.
DESTRUCTION OF BIODIVERSITY - our biodiversity is precious and vital not only to the environment but also to the quality of life of residents who love and use these spaces. The proposed road threatens so many of the green spaces and will transform the quality of life for animals and human residents across a large part of Sydney. Further fracturing and destroying so many spaces will have a huge impact on the animal life throughout Sydney
I object to the removal of most of the Critically Endangered Cooks River Ironbark forest at Kingsgrove, to the destruction of the habitat of the Vulnerable Green and Golden Bell Frog population at Arncliffe, and to the removal of the trees that provide food for the Vulnerable Grey-headed Flying-fox, which has a camp of substantial size in the Wolli Creek Valley. The construction of a massive new road must not come at the expense of our bushland;; our flora and our fauna. These animals are important parts of Sydney's biodiversity and these spaces all represent significant colonies which must be protected.
DEGRADATION OF RECREATIONAL GREEN SPACES
I object to the loss of green recreational spaces at Ashfield, Kingsgrove, Bexley North, Kogarah Golf Course at Arncliffe, Annandale and at St Peters. As the density of Sydney increases and the associated urban heat island effect intensifies, our green spaces must be increased and enhanced, not decreased and degraded. This destruction of green spaces comes at a time when there is increasing pressure on green spaces throughout Sydney and a great drive to increase population density in the inner rings of suburbs we need to protect our green spaces for residents health and the quality of life in our communities for now and into the future.
TRAFFIC IMPACTS ON LOCAL ROADS
I object to the increased traffic the NewM5 will bring into local roads. When complete, King Georges, Stoney Creek, Canterbury, Forest and Moorefields Rds. will carry increased traffic as motorists avoid the new tolls. These roads, already carrying numerous diesel-fuelled dangerous goods vehicles, will not cope with additional traffic, posing dangers for all using such local roads, in particular school children.
The Exits of the M% will also impact on streets - Euston road will be widened to deal with the increased traffic and this brings the road into close proximity with houses, destroys green verge spaces and will l destroy the character and quality of life of many areas. The loss of green verge space is a further loss of green space which will contribute significantly to the development of heat islands across the city.
TRAFFIC MODELLING
Chiara O'Reilly Marrickville 2204
29 of Jan 2016
I object to the failure of the Sydney Motorway Corporation to publicly reveal the peer review of the traffic model and their failure to reveal the assumptions on which it is based so that independent traffic planners can test its results. A key concern is the impact around schools, places of residence and shopping areas which will also see a dramatic growth in car numbers and thus undergo substantial change in terms of how they can be safely used.
URBAN DESIGN
I object to the building of new roads without considering the effects these roads will have on our urban environment. Where will all the new vehicles be parked when they get from the suburbs to the centres? By 2031, the New M5 is predicted to accommodate 81,500 vehicles per day, which will require lots of new carparks to be built on land in our city centres. We should instead be offering solutions to diversify spaces of work across Sydney and improve public transport options to minimise private cars across the city.
AIR QUALITY
I object to the three new unfiltered, emissions stacks proposed for Kingsgrove, Arncliffe and St Peters. These will negatively affect air quality in all surrounding suburbs. This is compounded for the densely populated suburbs of Wolli Creek and Arncliffe, which are already affected by the unfiltered M5 stack at Turrella;; they will now also be affected by the new stack on the Kogarah Golf Course at Arncliffe. The planners of the road admit that any new developments proposed after the stacks are built will need to carefully assess where the exhaust pollutants are going because they do not know. More and more of these pollutants are diesel particles which in 2012, were upgraded by the World Health Organisation to the highest cancer warning level because they are particularly dangerous for the lungs of growing children.
Yours sincerely,
NOTE: I have not donated more than $1,000 to a political party in the current financial year. I confirm that my name and suburb but not my full address nor email address can be published on the Major Project website where all submissions will published.

Please find attached our submission and appendices.