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North Sydney has a right to know the plans for Western Harbour Tunnel
In response to today’s story in the Sydney Morning Herald, Independent Federal Member for North Sydney, Kylea Tink said:
“Newspaper headlines should not be the primary form of communication with the North Sydney community when it comes to considerations around developments with the Western Harbour Tunnel.
“I welcome the reported changes to tunnel depth and entry points, but we can't rely on newspaper reports for details of the plan. The community has a right to know, and have input into, the options being considered by Transport for NSW and Transport for NSW must be answerable to the communities that enable it to exist.
“There is a great deal of warranted concern about the impact of the Western Harbour Tunnel on the North Sydney community. Not only on practical things like the amenity and traffic flow of North Sydney CBD, but importantly ultimately the liveability of our community with the removal of hundreds of trees and the health of our harbour.
“It is hard not to feel like this project is driving itself with little to no local engagement or obvious State Government direction.
“Given the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government recently confirmed with me that there is no federal funding committed to the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, we need further clarity about the financial viability for the project.
“They must take this opportunity to ensure the community is genuinely consulted and to provide details on their plans for public view.”
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Background
During the election campaign, the community made it clear that they wanted work on the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link suspended until a detailed assessment was undertaken on the impacts of air quality, traffic congestion and loss of parks and trees.
Kylea Tink MP has convened an independent scientific panel to assess the impacts of the tunnels on the electorate, led by former NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chairman and CEO, Barry Buffier AM and this panel is actively working with those across the sector to try and uncover greater detail around this project.
Kylea will continue to advocate for our community to ensure the questions around this project are answered, openly, and that we can guarantee the best outcomes for North Sydney.
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