Item 10.1 - Attachment 1 |
West Metro
Detailed Report |
DETAILED REPORT
West Metro Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA)
1. Outline
of the Summary Preliminary Environmental Assessment
The West Metro is an underground rail service from Central to
Westmead with 11 stations including Camellia and Parramatta. The West Metro is the second stage of the
Sydney Metro network which consists of two lines:
· Metro 1 - CBD Metro (stage 1), West
Metro (stage 2) and North West Metro (future stage)
· Metro 2 - Northern Beaches Metro and South
East Metro (future stages)
The Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) highlights the
benefits of the West Metro as
· Reduced travel times between Parramatta,
the Inner West and Sydney CBD with journey time savings of up to 30 minutes
from the Inner West
· Relief to the Western Line by reducing
demand by 40%
· Strengthen Parramatta’s role as
Sydney’s second CBD
· Stimulate and support population and employment
growth
· Support significant urban renewal (Harris
Park, Rosehill and Camellia)
· Reduce road congestion as people
change from car and bus to metro
The Metro trains will be driverless with onboard attendants
and have 5 single deck carriages with a capacity of up to 40,000 passengers per
hour per direction. Services will
operate from 05:30am to 00:00am midnight Sundays to Thursday and until to
01:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. The
frequency will be every 2-3 minutes during the peak and every 5 minutes during
the daytime.
The construction of the West Metro is planned to start in 2011
with construction activity limited to the stations at Westmead, Parramatta and
Camellia which will involve the removal of up to 125,000m3 of
spoil. The removal of tunnel spoil will
occur outside of the LGA. The West Metro is planned to be operational by
2017.
2. Issues
for Council
Council needs to consider the implications of the proposed
West Metro in preparation of the draft Parramatta LEP and DCP in terms of
future development in the areas surrounding the proposed West Metro stations. However, the certainty of the project is a
major constraint.
3. Draft
Submission to Sydney Metro
Parramatta City Council welcomes the release of the PEA and continues
to support the development of the proposed West Metro. However Council has serious concerns with the
lack of any committed funding by either State or Federal Governments beyond
2009/10. Council will actively seek
commitment and funding from both Governments on the delivery of the West Metro
scheme which is essential if Parramatta is to perform its planned role as
Sydney’s second centre.
Council requests that the following issues be adequately addressed:
· Impact on The Loop – There is likely
to be a significant increase in patronage and demand for the Loop to be an
expand two-way service. It will come at significant
cost and this Council initiative will need State Government funding to be able
to continue to deliver this already well patronised community service.
· Traffic impact on James Ruse Drive - The
proposed “large scale” park & ride at Camellia station on James Ruse will
generate significant traffic growth. This
will increase traffic congestion on James Ruse Drive and the function of the intersection
with Grand Avenue and Hassall Street.
· Carlingford Line – State Government
needs to declare the future strategy for the Carlingford Line now as there are
implications for both it and West Metro, especially in terms of interchange
design and construction. Patronage on
Carlingford Line is likely to significant increase once the West Metro opens however
there is little scope to increase capacity on the Line due to cancelled State
Government investment. It also raises
the viability of continuing to operate the Line to Clyde as it is expected that
an overwhelming majority of passengers will change to Metro, not to mention the
continued disruption to traffic flows on Parramatta Road that the Carlingford
Line causes. A multimodal transport
study is required to determine a committed future strategy for the Carlingford
Line. This study needs to include rail
and bus based transport modes in all their forms.
· Civic Place – there needs to be
further detailed discussions and agreement on:
o Integration of the Parramatta station and Civic Place - The
station design needs to be integrated with the Civic Place development in
design, construction and future operation.
The Civic Place development includes public open space in the proposed
station location and is surrounded by developments with basement parking.
o Provision of retail and commercial space - Sydney Metro
should not seek to develop any retail and commercial space beyond the immediate
needs of the station or in conflict the Civic Place committed retail and
commercial space.
o Proposed project Worksite Boundary – The proposed
Worksite Boundary includes the area covered by Stage 1. This is expected to commence construction in
2010 and be completed by 2012.
· Environmental Impact – there needs to be detailed
consideration of the flooding and contamination issues at the proposed Camellia
station location. There also needs to be
consideration for the need for dilapidation studies to monitor any damage to
buildings due to construction work, and in particular from vibrations.
Council also notes the following errors and omissions within
the PEA:
· The planned growth of Parramatta city
centre by 2031 is 30,000 jobs and 20,000 residents.
· SREP28 Parramatta and Parramatta City
Centre LEP 2007 applies to the city centre.
· St Johns Cathedral is a significant
heritage item.
· Cycle route on the station precinct
maps.
4. Consultation
Council officers have established communications with Sydney
Metro and have provided technical advice relating the existing and possible future
directions of the station precincts. The
The Environmental Assessment for the West Metro is scheduled
for public exhibition in the first quarter of 2010 and Council will need to consider
this document.