[Greens-Media] Carr ignores Sydney*s looming planning disaster

[Mithra Cox]

MEDIA RELEASE
14th March 2005


Carr ignores Sydney's looming planning disaster

Only a month before the deadline for key decisions on the planned
expansion of Sydney Airport, the holes in the Carr Government's
Metropolitan Strategy keep getting bigger, Greens MP Sylvia Hale said
today.

"Sydney's single biggest planning challenge, the expansion of
Sydney airport, has not even been considered in the Metropolitan
Strategy," Ms Hale said today.

"The airport expansion will triple the number of passengers using the
airport, with numbers going from 23 million to 68 million each year. 
That will mean trebling the load on transport infrastructure surrounding
the airport.

"Within 20 years, Sydney airport will be coping with more passengers
than currently pass through London's Heathrow airport.

"Parking spaces at the international terminal will increase from 2000
to 8000.

"DIPNR's own estimates anticipate that three times as many
residents will be adversely affected by aircraft noise, with up to 80
planes landing or taking off per hour by 2024.

"Where is the plan for alleviating the traffic gridlock caused by new
motorways such as the M5 East and Eastern Distributor?  Where is the
funding to fix and expand Sydney's ailing rail system? 

"The Carr Government has become paralysed with the enormity of
solving ten years of infrastructure neglect. 

"Before the next election there needs to be a full and public debate
about the sort of city we want Sydney to be.  We need a genuine
Metropolitan Strategy not just flim-flam and glossy brochures," Ms
Hale said.