INDEPENDENT candidate for Inner West Council Pauline Lockie slammed the Berejiklian government for releasing its environmental impact statement (EIS) for the WestConnex M4-M5 Link today, despite only having a “concept design” for the project.
“It beggars belief that the Berejiklian government is planning to spend billions of our taxpayer dollars and destroy even more of the Inner West based on a poorly designed ‘concept’,” said Ms Lockie.
“The WestConnex M4-M5 EIS is even worse that the previous WestConnex EISs, which were based on more detailed designs that still failed to assess the impacts of these projects.
“Residents along the WestConnex route are already paying the price for these failures – from the huge increases in traffic on Parramatta Rd, to the toxic stench plaguing residents around the St Peters Interchange dump site.
“The Berejiklian government should not approve the WestConnex M4-M5 Link unless there's a final design, and the real impacts of this tollway can be assessed.
“That such an obvious point needs to be made shows just how corrupted the WestConnex planning process really is,” said Ms Lockie.
Ms Lockie said she has already been contacted by residents devastated by the contents of the EIS.
“Newtown residents who were assured that their heritage homes would be protected from tunnelling impacts have been unable to find any plans for this in the EIS,” said Ms Lockie.
“Leichhardt residents are devastated to see WestConnex charging ahead with its plan to use Darley Rd as a dive site, despite this being one of the Inner West’s worst traffic blackspots.
“Haberfield residents already living through some of the worst impacts of WestConnex now face five more years of relentless construction and destruction.
“With both Rozelle and St Peters now earmarked for multiple unfiltered pollution stacks for WestConnex, residents in these areas are rightly fearful for their health and safety,” said Ms Lockie.
Ms Lockie is a founder of the WestCONnex Action Group, which ran campaigns to drive submissions to the previous WestConnex EISs.
Over 17,500 submissions were made to the EISs for the WestConnex M4 Widening, M4 East and New M5, the vast majority of which strongly opposed these projects.
Media contact: Pauline Lockie 0414 470 106