Parks and houses to be ripped up for WestConnex

Parks and houses to be ripped up for WestConnex
Image: WestConnex protesters vent their anger last Tuesday morning

Last Tuesday morning a small contingent of inner west residents called a snap protest in Ashfield Park opposing the building of the WestConnex Motorway.

Comprised mostly of Greens’ politicians, the park was the chosen protest destination as one of a number of local parks at risk of being carved up under the Coalition State Government’s anticipated grab for public and privately-owned land for the WestConnex.

Greens member Hall Greenland, a candidate for the inner west Sydney seat of Grayndler in the federal election, said he is appalled by Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to pursue the WestConnex Motorway.

“Just last week Anthony Albanese was quoted in the local paper as saying not to worry about the WestConnex because they haven’t even completed a business plan yet. Then a week later the Prime Minister announced the whole thing was to go ahead on the basis of political calculation, not real business investigation or financial transport study,” he said.

Mr Greenland said the motorway will worsen the environment and further debilitate the inner west’s transport problems.

“It’s going to cost the best part of $20 billion. That kind of money spent on public transport in Sydney would solve our public transport problems for generations,” he said.

“The idea of taking this to the CBD goes against everything that is happening in modern cities, which is to reduce the number of cars going into the city. Yet the Gillard version of the WestConnex would take it into the city and that strikes me as crazy.”

Greens member and Leichhardt Councillor, Rochelle Porteous said the potential impact on residents would be severely deterimental.

“There will need to be significant compulsory acquisitions of local homes and businesses in order to construct the road and tunnels and the on-off ramps,” she said.

“After construction, this land would most likely be on-sold to developers with the attraction of new zoning to remove local planning controls and allow high-rises.”

Ms Porteous called on Leichhardt Council to unanimously oppose the WestConnex.

“The Labor Mayor [Darcy Byrne] and his Labor and Liberal colleagues have so far retained their respective partie’s positions and failed to oppose the WestConnex,” she said.

“I am personally writing to both the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese and the Minister for Ports and Roads, Duncan Gay to ensure they are aware of the significant concerns being voiced by the local community on WestConnex.”

 

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