Hawkesbury City Council has lodged a formal submission “strenuously opposing” the NSW Government’s proposed road corridors after hearing “truck stops and golden arches” were not what residents envisioned for the region.
The council was granted an extension to lodge its submission to Transport for NSW, and at an extraordinary meeting held last Wednesday (June 13) resolved to oppose both the proposed Bells Line of Road – Castlereagh Connection and Outer Sydney Orbital (M9).
It also highlighted several concerns in relation to the North South Passenger Corridor and Western Sydney Freight Line.
Speaking to the recommendation, Marie-Jeanne Bowyer of lobby group Bells Line of Road Corridor Action Group (BLORCAG) said council surveys had repeatedly shown residents valued protecting local heritage and the Hawkesbury’s country atmosphere, as well as improving air and water quality and maintaining agriculture as a viable industry.
“Truck stops and golden arches” were not the vision Hawkesbury residents have repeatedly said they wanted, Ms Bowyer told the meeting.
“These issues and objectives are what we want. We are the ratepayers, the taxpayers. We need our council to fully represent us on this our vision,” she said. “[There are] no medals here for guessing what a six-lane motorway would do for the above.
“To those sitting in Parliament House, the Hawkesbury is somewhere near the Mooney Mooney Bridge, isn’t it? Politicians, media and other staff will not cross the river, or don’t know where the river is to begin with.”
In its submission, council highlighted the government’s “failure to recognise the need to prioritise immediate local traffic solutions”, as well as the corridors’ negative impacts on local communities, including economic and agricultural impacts, mental health of residents, and the location of both through hundreds of established properties.
The submission also pointed out the “inadequacy of community consultation”, “lack of detail and information provided to affected land owners”, and the need for the government to genuinely work with the community “from ‘bottom up’ not ‘top down’”.
Mayor Mary Lyons-Buckett moved the resolution to lodge the submission saying many locals had been affected by the proposals, receiving a round of applause from those in the public gallery.
“There’s been a lot of distress, there’s been a lot of impact on people. The sheer shock and horror of hearing about this with no warning has been devastating for many people,” she said.
“For many people it placed them in a position where … they were having to face life-changing decisions of what they would do with regard to the future of their property, and in fact the future of their livelihood.”
Cr Sarah Richards said all 12 councillors were on board with the intention of the submission, and that the four Liberal councillors had lodged a submission of their own separate to that of the council.
The full resolution of council is available at https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/council/council-meetings/business-papers.
