Leichhardt Council opposes airport expansion

With projections that aircraft movements will double in the area by 2020, Leichhardt Mayor Rochelle Porteous has spoken out against Sydney Airports’ escalating noise problem.

Currently the airport operates at around 60 movements an hour during the morning peak and 50 during the evening peak. In total there are 530 daily aircraft movements over Sydney.

The airport plans to increase the amount of air traffic to up to 80 movements an hour as well as extend the peak hour periods. This will bring the total number of daily aircraft movements to up to 1070 over Sydney by 2020.

“This is only set to get a lot worse if the Sydney Airport expansion plans go ahead. In terms of Leichhardt LGA, we are currently experiencing an average of 148 aircraft movements a day and this is projected to grow to up to 300 a day by 2020,” Ms Porteous said.

Leichhardt Council has analysed the planned expansion of Sydney Airport in a report showing that Sydney Airport is not complying with the Long Term Operational Plan (LTOP) targets for noise sharing over Sydney, which makes the situation worse.

North flight route suburbs such as Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Annandale and Rozelle should receive no more than 17 per cent of all aircraft movements but in reality are experiencing 28 per cent.

“The consequence of this for Leichhardt LGA and the many other residents living under Sydney Airport’s flight paths is many more aircraft movements and much more aircraft noise,” Ms Porteous said.

“Council wants to see the Federal Government expedite the construction of a new airport for the Sydney Region and no expansion of Sydney Airport.”

Allen Reese has been a resident of Sydney’s Inner West for more than 40 years. Outraged by the expansion of a third ramp in 1995, Mr Reese set up the organisation ‘No Aircraft Noise’.

He is aggrieved by another airport expansion. “We are very angry that that’s even been considered. It’s outrageous when the airport already makes so much noise in the suburbs.

“The Minister for Transport is talking about a second airport but will not say if that will reduce noise, because as he is pushing the airport to keep expanding this tends to increase the noise.”

Tim Stackpool moved to Leichardt six years ago aware of the noise problem but did not contemplate other Airplane by-products. “They go over our house at least every five minutes. But ultimately what troubles me is the level of exhaust that falls onto the house.

“I notice when we are doing clean ups around about the place, running your finger across various external parts of the house there seems to be a grime that builds up over time. That’s what’s falling from the aircraft.”

By Kate Horowitz