Barangaroo - R4A Residential Building Modification 6

Please excuse my late reply to this exhibition as I have been recovering from Covid these past 2 weeks, I hope you are able to accept my objection to this modification.
I am objecting to R4A and R4B Residential Buildings Modifications (SSD-6964-Mod-6 and SSD-6965-Mod-6) because this will almost certainly mean more movement of vehicles to and from the site overnight causing more noise outside my bedroom window.
I don’t believe this is done (or would stand for it) in any other residential area so why should this be allowed just because it is a big developer and they are late or just want to get it built faster.

The proposed hours of work (broadly 5pm to 5am) across an extremely long period of time (until towards the end of 2024) are preposterous. A project should be designed around the needs of current residents in the area, specifically their need to sleep. Not sleeping is highly injurious to health. This proposal is a severe health hazard to residents in the area, specifically me. There is a high percentage of older residents who have particular trouble sleeping, and whose health will be severely impacted by the current proposal. I can only assume that Lendlease are trying it on again, seeing what they can get away with at the expense of the general community.

I strongly object to any night works being undertaken at Building R4A and R4B.
I have lived here for 25 years, lost all my views and have endured continuous so called development of the waterfront together with the Metro light rail.
The residents in the area have suffered enough from noise, light pollution and traffic congestion without having to endure more night works.
Think about the people around you instead of being so greedy and selfish.
Margaret Cormie

I do strongly oppose the Nighttime work hours. i have been living in the building for three years and already get noise during day work hours. I guess working day and night would make it unbearable for me to live in the area.
my apartment directly over looks the construction site and i will be directly affected by the nighttime working hours.
I am attaching photos to show where my apartment is located.

As a resident of 38 Hickson Road, Millers Point, I strongly object to the extension of construction hours for the Projects.
Reasons for objections:
1. I am already suffering from noise from the sites currently
2. I have been sleep -deprived since truck movement start early in the morning
3. With the proposal extension, apart from noise generated from construction activities, there will also be additional truck movement entering the site during the night causing more disturbance.
4. In addition, there will also be noise generated from night shift workers walking along Hickson Street outside our residence and talking loudly before and after their shift
5. What can be considered to be acceptable level of noise during the day will have amplified effect during night hours

In conclusion:
The application for extended hours of construction for buildings R4A and R4B be rejected on public interest grounds and upon the grounds that the levels of Noise affecting the residents of 38 Hickson Road are at levels which potentially cause "Material Harm" (as defined by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

As a resident of 38 Hickson Road, Millers Point, I strongly object to the extension of construction hours for the Projects.
Reasons for objections:
1. I am already suffering from noise from the sites currently
2. I have been sleep -deprived since truck movement start early in the morning
3. With the proposal extension, apart from noise generated from construction activities, there will also be additional truck movement entering the site during the night causing more disturbance.
4. In addition, there will also be noise generated from night shift workers walking along Hickson Street outside our residence and talking loudly before and after their shift
5. What can be considered to be acceptable level of noise during the day will have amplified effect during night hours

In conclusion:
The application for extended hours of construction for buildings R4A and R4B be rejected on public interest grounds and upon the grounds that the levels of Noise affecting the residents of 38 Hickson Road are at levels which potentially cause "Material Harm" (as defined by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Construction noise is currently planned 6 days a week at night, for two years.

This essentially means that anyone residing in Highgate (including myself) will not be able to sleep for 6 days a week, for 2 years.

We currently tolerate construction noise during the day, despite the challenges (e.g. difficulty working from home due to background noise for calls etc.). Noise at night will render these apartments uninhabitable as it is not possible for a human being to not sleep 6 days a week for 2 years.

Construction noise should not be permitted next to residential buildings at night.

My submission may come across as dramatic, but that's because this is dramatic. Sleep deprivation for 6 days a week for 2 years is dramatic.

We are neighbours of the building and we object to workers being on site 24 hours a day. They have to come and go past our home and noise travels at night. We work too so please allow us to sleep at night.

There is noise all the day all the day and now will be in the night too? This is not correct we need to rest!!!

Gonna be loud. Need to sleep for work.

We live across the street, and the noise during the night and saturday will be inconvenient. It should be only during working hours

Please stop nigh work due to noise to Highgate residents including me.

I object to loud work going on over night. My apartment is pretty dang close and I can hear works during the day which will amplify by night due to night conditions carrying sounds exponentially further. I find the proposal quite ridiculous. I say ask yourself if you'd like jack hammers and cranes going off at 3am by your house and kids windows at your place of residence.

See attached letter.

Please see the attached letter to Planning

Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal. My comments relate to both 4A and 4B as they are essentially identical.

My main concerns relates to the noise aspects of the works. I have several concerns in this area as below.

Mitigation. The main motivations appear to be consequence management (eg informing, hot lines) and there appears to be no active management such as installation of measuring/monitoring equipment on the area. This should be a requirement of any approval.

Veracity and application of the Acoustic Report. Importantly, the sampling table in Attachment D lacks the detail from 7pm to midnight - approximately half the proposed work period and probably invalidates it as a significant reference for this proposal. At the very least it makes one wonder what else has been overlooked.

Additionally, conditions have changed since 2010, and whilst ground level background noise may have increased, there are now numerous residence well above where those measurements were likely taken; there should be new measurements taken.

Further, Annex D notes the base line of 48dB for background noise, however the sample in the Sampling Chart suggests that the median pressure is closer to 30-35 dB for the midnight to 5am period. This is significantly less (only about 1/4) than the ‘midnight to 1500hrs’ median of 48dB utilised in the report.

As this will be the period where most people are sleeping and/or relaxing (dinner/tv for example), increased noise, including even short term peaks operating machinery for half of the 15 minute periods, may be more disruptive/intrusive than captured in the Noise Assessment. Delivery trucks, listed at 104dB (roughly the sound of jack hammers, concerts etc) should be prohibited after 2200 hours. Sounds such as reversing horns and similar will also be particularly intrusive during the proposed work periods.

The Attachment D lists indicative tools to be used. It does not propose to limit any tools as I can see. Such a limit must be imposed based on actual or calculated sound pressures. It is unlikely, but possible, that other tools and equipment may be required, and should be strictly limited. This infers the requirement for the application of noise limits and consequently active monitoring noise and ‘cessation of work’ policies.

I believe that:
1. New background noise measurements that cover the affected period, including at the upper heights of works, are required prior to consideration of the application.
2. Noise limits and toll restrictions be developed to maintain residential peace and quiet. Based on their proposed works this should be a low noise limit as assessed at the neighbouring buildings. There must be limits even on short term/peak pressures, as well as baseline exposure levels.
3. In place monitoring should be installed on residences/affected areas. This should provide feedback to the construction site and require works to be suspended should a refined set of limits be exceeded.

Secondly, but relatively inconsequently, I find the arguments for the 7pm-5am works to be far from compelling. Whilst I cannot comment on the safety aspect of multiple workers, the desire to accelerate construction/fit out appears to be undermined by the current absolute lack of work occurring at the moment ( Saturday 3 December, and currently today, Monday 5 December), I suspect based on extended vacation time. I also note that large numbers of workers have consistently finished work at or before 1600 daily, missing an opportunity for an hour a day of further works. In relation to creation of jobs, the construction phase would likely continue to employ more individuals than in the ongoing stage. There are also reportedly staff shortages in the service industries at the moment and this again undermines the jobs argument in the short term.

Thanking you

With works allowed during night time when people are sleeping, no hammering or drilling should be allowed during those internal works.