The poster goes on to claim that during construction of the
facility, (at least 3 months) there will be a massive access mad built from the
corner of Burren Street and Erskineville Road through to the facility –
destroying the square outside the dry cleaners and the Thai restaurant. Trucks
will be turning into the access road across Erskineville Road. Heavy trucks will also
still use Charles and Wilson Streets and a 7.5 meter high wall will be visible
along the length of the facility from Burren
Street.
Terry Murphy, former City of Sydney
Councillor for the area, told the Herald: “When State
Rail pulled down the railway sheds on that site, I was concerned because it
could have been sold off for units. It would make a great place for units but
the area is already crowded and parking is an issue. So State Rail is using the
area for trains to improve the train services in the metropolitan area. It
looks good to me!” Organisers of the rally against the proposal say,
“We recognize that this development is part of the State Government’s bigger plans to fix the appalling state of the
train system and we are all interested in having a well run public transport
that runs regularly and on-time. However, this development is being pushed through
without either adequate public consultation, consideration of alternatives or
the impact on our community!”
A community meeting was held on November 13 at the Newtown library. One of
those present was former South Sydney Mayor and Sydney city Councillor Tony
Pooley. He told the South Sydney Herald, “Burren Street is a really positive
proposal as, currently, we are taking trains out to Campbelltown every night.
Given the concentration of trains on the inner-city network, having this
facility close to the inner-city will be an advantage. Residents concerns have
been taken into account and a 6 metre high wall will be built to encapsulate
the sound. A very limited number of parking spaces will be lost – a total of 28
across the site. Council has a number of responsibilities, including ensuring
to that adjacent residential parking is restricted for residents. State Rail
should look at making the proposed temporary access road on to Railway Parade
permanent as Burren Street
is probably not appropriate.” In relation to there not being enough
consultation, Tony pointed out that the application was first received in 2002.
One State Rail official pointed out that in the end, it is a
State Government proposal and Council is powerless to stop it- all it can do is
to discuss improvements.