Moorebank Avenue Realignment

The proposed road changes mean that only intermodal workers can have access, and we residential and other road users would need to make four new turns to navigate around the site.
What's more as a resident of Wattle Grove I am concerned that if it is approved, there will be a major freight terminal and a busy roadway just 400 metres from the back of Wattle Grove properties.
Not enough thought or consideration has been given to the impacts on the lifestyle and property values of Wattle Grove residents when searching for a solution for them and the intermodal project. I agree with Ms Gibbons' suggestion that the road be built on the western side of the Moorebank intermodal site which would allowed them to hand back the land along the river for public use such as a park or nature reserve to connect over the river with the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Casula Parklands. These measures would then bring benefits to the community from the construction of the intermodal by handing back the Georges River foreshore to the community.
Noise from the intermodal is one of the biggest issues for Wattle Grove residents. In certain weather conditions and at certain times of day the noise is intrusive not just in our gardens but inside our houses. I agree again with Ms Gibbons' suggestion that Qube Holdings should erect sound barriers along the eastern edge of the new roadway to mitigate any noise pollution and double glazing for every impacted residence.
Wattle Grove residents feel they have been treated shabbily with no regard being paid to the health, noise, lifestyle and property value implications of the modifications which creep in one after another with no direct communication to the affected residents.

This will do irreparable damage to the community pushing residents to leave the area. It is also essential weight restrictions remain in place on Anzac road. Sound barriers and other preventative measures must be put in place to not destroy the suburb further than the presence of the intermodal will.

I have been a resident and property owner of the western side of Wattle Grove for nearly 24 years. I wish to object to the proposed re-alignment of Moorebank Ave on the following grounds:

1. The re-alignment will very obviously increase noise impacts to Wattle Grove residents. Residents are already suffering significant levels of noise from SIMTA, despite multiple assurances that their quality of life would be protected. Statements like "identification of feasible and reasonable noise mitigation and management" as made in this proposal have proven to be completely worthless to local residents as there is now near continuous background noise audible, in Wattle Grove, for example, at my house. In the evenings and at night loud noises (possibly shunting) can be heard inside the house with doors and windows closed. SIMTA has made no effort to reduce or eliminate the existing noise, so they cannot not be permitted to increase the noise by moving a main road 500m closer to residents and should not be granted permission.

2. The proposed re-alignment traverses the so-called boot land, putting the animals and plants in this location at risk, including the critically endangered plants such as hibbertia fumana and also threatened wildlife. This should not be permitted.

3. The proposal aims to address the problem of the MPE and MPW sites causing traffic congestion on through traffic along Moorebank Ave, however it considers just two options, mingling the traffic and realigning Moorebank Ave. A third option not even considered is that the traffic between the two sites could be achieved through grade separation with bridges or tunnels from MPE to MPW over the existing Moorebank Avenue alignment. This would protect residents from further undue noise, avoid the indicated traffic problems and would protect the boot land flora and fauna.

4. The cause of this problem is SIMTA's refusal to consider this extremely large development as a single integrated project. It has been obvious from the start that this is a single large development. By maintaining the fiction of two separate projects SIMTA has achieved many planning concessions, for example never having to consider the combined traffic and noise impacts. This ongoing planning fiction has lead to this situation where the supposedly unintegrated neighbouring projects are now understood to have significant cross traffic, enough to justify the significant cost of a diversion of 3KM of Moorebank Avenue. If SIMTA had been honest about the integration between the two halves of their project, the integration could and should have been part of planning from the beginning.

5. By diverting Moorebank Ave, SIMTA seems to avoid previous commitments restricting traffic leaving MPE and MPW.

6. The design is a poor design, with (it would seem) four sets of lights in a 650m stretch of the diverted Moorebank Avenue (Anzac Rd, DNSDC/JLC, "old" Moorebank Ave, and the first MPE entrance). This can be expected to induce traffic jams considering the very significant level of traffic expected from the terminal and the heavy traffic already using Moorebank Avenue to avoid the significant congestion on the M5

7. SIMTA has already inflicted very significant impacts on the local ecology, notably the destruction of a very large number of mature trees and the complete devastation of several square KM of land with millions of cubic metres of imported fill on their own site. Allowing further disruption to wildlife and plant species by dividing the boot land with a road is completely unacceptable to local residents and an outrageous impact on our environment

8. The risks to residents, staff working at the terminal and other road users due to bushfires. The land under consideration in the proposal has burned in two significant bushfires in the last 25 years. Depending on the circumstances and wind direction evacuating residents and particularly staff could be forced much closer to a bushfire by relocating the road adjacent to the bush while the current alignment is mainly well away from the bush.

9. The noise modelling mentioned in the proposal is largely invalidated by the importation of fill and the raising of the site by some 2-3 metres. The proposed re-alignment also intends to import a significant amount of fill and will raise the height of the road some metres above the current level. The result of this is that more of the road noise will be transmitted to residents because the road is higher than the surrounding area, closer to residents and much busier. The proponent must show a lot more evidence that this noise will be properly managed before proposing a serious disturbance to local residents of this magnitude.

For all of these reasons, I urge you to refuse this proposal.

If you cannot refuse this proposal, I urge you to please consider the impact on Wattle Grove residents by requiring a very significant noise barrier infrastructure for the full length of the re-alignment and also to consider the impact on wildlife and plant life by requiring very much more significant protection through the boot land to avoid animals from being cut off in one section or the other.

As the Moorebank Avenue realignment needs to cross a creek, known as Anzac Creek, which crosses through Lot 4 DP 1197707, if classified as a Crown waterway, then Anzac Creek will need to be compulsorily acquired under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991.

Plese see my attached document as my submission againts the Moorebanks Ave realigment.

See attached

As a resident in Wattle Grove, near Anzac Rd, I would like to put in a submission against this proposal. However, if this proposal does go ahead, I will request that weight restrictions be placed on Anzac Rd to limit heavy vehicle traffic through our local suburb, especially since there is already quite a lot of traffic & pot-holes everywhere. Also sound barriers need to be constructed along the eastern edge of the road. Sound proofing should be offered to any impacted residents, including myself & any environmental impacts to Anzac Creek be investigated. Finally, I believe that persons involved in the Moorebank Intermodal & Qube Holdings Limited, should be doing more to mitigate the potential issues they are causing in our local area; including, quality of air, local environment, traffic pollution & sound/noise. These will all impact everyone in Wattle Grove, especially young children with Asthma & anyone who already has health issues. Thank you.

The local community has already had to accept the inevitability of the Intermodal and its continued submissions for more and more amendments to the originally planned project. This realignment is just another example of SIMTA of ignoring the wishes of the local community. The realignment will inevitably increase noise, traffic and damage the environment further. Any mitigation strategies will not be sufficient and, based on past experience, will not be enforced e.g. heavy vehicles are not supposed to travel along Anzac Road but they do and nothing is done to stop them. It is frustrating and disappointing that this is being considered and despite our objections, the realignment will go ahead without any support for Wattle Grove residents. When considering this proposal, please imagine that you were living in this area and, if you did, you would not approve of this realignment as it brings additional traffic and noise.

Please find submission attached.

Our local citizen group strongly objects to this proposal. Its necessity is a consequence of Qube Holdings holding fast to its attained Concept Approval of what is now known as Moorebank Precinct East. After Qube gaining control of the larger site known as Moorebank Precinct West from the LNP Government in 2014 it refused to prepare and put forward an integrated site development application. It proceeded with two developments. That was its its decision alone, and alone it must carry the consequences.

This left Moorebank Avenue as the demarcation line of two discrete development applications. Being integrated, the use of tunnels between the two sites under Moorebank Ave would have been the obvious routing of container vehicles, or an elevated roadway.

The routing of a busy, truck bearing road on public lands to the east of the MPE site in bush land reserves cannot be supported.

The Proposal must be judged as a consequence of poor development decisions prior. The public interest must not be ignored again.

The Qube Holdings proposed realign the Moorebank Ave closer to all residents in Wattle Grove is another ill considered move with a complete lack of consultation with impacted residents.
This should not proceed without detailed consultation and consideration given to dramatic increases in traffic already experienced with the disgraceful Intermodal Development. Items to be considered are, weight restrictions be placed on Anzac Road to restrict heavy vehicle traffic thru a local residential suburb, sound barriers to be constructed along the eastern edge of the road, sound proofing to be provided to all impacted residents, and that environmental impacts to Anzac Creek be investigated.
Qube services are rushing this proposed change through and should be stopped immediately to address residents concerns, and set meetings at a time that all can attend, not as usually is done on a week day at 12pm when most are at work, really deliberately sneaky actions!

I have concerns about air, noise, local environmental and traffic pollution being a resident that resides close to the development. As an individual with respiratory issues among other health issues which I share with my family members, this development concerns my and my family's health. Therefore, adequate and appropriate measures must be taken to reduce the pollution impacts on my and my family's health, the wider community of Wattle Grove, and the local environment and wildlife.

It is extremely disappointing that the Intermodal was given initial planning approval, and now the suggestion that it cannot efficiently operate without a major realignment of Moorebank Avenue is unacceptable.

What a ludicrous project proposal suggesting that it is safe to divert all through traffic that use Moorebank Avenue on a daily basis from a straight route (ie. current alignment) to a snaked route with multiple bends on a different alignment with considerable heavy vehicle movements.

The principal reasoning is the improved operation of the facility. If this is factual, then either this has clearly always been the intention or the developer is incompetent and constructed an inefficient operation thus far.

There also appears a lack of explanation of how the West Precinct vehicle movements will be managed. For example, how will truck movements to the yet to be constructed Woolworths Distribution Facility be managed with the proposed realignment. It is apparent that the real intention of the proposed realignment is to maximise heavy vehicle movements across the entire site by establishing duplicate roads.

The EIS has a deliberate distinct lack of recognition and consideration of the neighbouring residential housing impact and at 1800+ pages it is an attempt to convince others of a thoroughly undertaken assessment.

Moorebank Avenue should be improved in its current alignment and not realigned.

The most critical intersection for the largest intermodal terminal in the southern hemisphere is not modelled correctly in the base year.
How much confidence can we have in the future year modelling? - zero level of confidence.

I object to this proposal due to the extra traffic that warehousing will bring to the local area. I already suffer extensive traffic delays on my way to work and expect that this extra traffic will make the long traffic delays even worse.

See attachment.

DPI Agriculture has no comments to make in relation to this proposed development.

Please see attached

Please see attachment.