Plans to expand the largest bus depot in Australia

Residents in the Leichhardt and Lilyfield region are dismayed with a proposal from the NSW State Transit Authority to expand Leichhardt Bus Depot – already the largest bus depot in the southern hemisphere.

With light rail and the Sydney Bus and Train Museum opening in the area in coming months, residents fear expansion could inundate the already congested locale with traffic.

Jennifer Aaron, a Leichhardt resident is alarmed by the additional noise pollution and the safety risks the expansion poses. She said:
“It is a highly residential area that’s been impinged on quite significantly by commercial and industrial sites. We are under
a flight path and buses operate until 1:30am.

“The streets are absolutely congested. It’s an accident waiting to happen, particularly with Pioneer Park at its doorstep and children running across the road.”

The State Transit Authority have proposed an additional 81 bus parking spaces, taking the total to 281 and ensuing an extra 40 per cent increase in bus movements coming in and out of the Depot.

Only 21 new parking spaces have been proposed to accommodate the 76 extra on site staff that will come with the expansion, increasing pressure on already limited parking in the area.

Leichhardt resident Elisabeth Ardagane believes little planning has gone into the proposal. She said: “I just feel that there is so much that they haven’t looked into as well; like why are we getting 81 buses when we have light rail coming in?

“Residents weren’t given a DA for the Museum going in so we are about to have a tourist attraction going in there as well. To then try and include another 70 plus bus workers in the area – it’s a mix that is not going to work.”

Residents are particularly confounded by the current proposal. It has been less than five years since the State Transit Authority expanded the Bus Depot turning it into the mammoth construction that now exists.

Elizabeth Avent of Lilyfield said: “I’m shocked. I’m a long-time member of the community and I moved away for work and came back to
find this massive Bus Depot and then find out they want to make an even bigger Bus Depot.

“They are ruining the area. I don’t go protesting and make a noise about the slightest little thing but this one is just too much.”

Leichhardt Council has extended the notification period until August 10 for community feedback and submissions.

Correction: The article previously mentioned Leichhardt Bus Depot as the property of the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). This is incorrect and the Depot is under the jurisdiction of the NSW State Transit Authority.