Badgerys Creek airport: 50 years on — Badgerys Creek takes off
EXPLAINER VIDEO AND FIRST IMAGES: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today gave the green light to the airport at Badgerys Creek in a $5b project creating 9000 jobs in Western Sydney.
NSW
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The Turnbull Government today gave the green light to Sydney’s second airport at Badgerys Creek in a long-awaited $5 billion ‘game-changing’ project creating 9000 jobs in western Sydney.
By signing off on the Western Sydney Airport plan, the Prime Minister has authorised the long-awaited construction at Badgerys Creek, ending of more than 50 years of debate and indecision.
And The Daily Telegraph can reveal the artist’s impression of how the Western Sydney Airport will look when it opens its first 3700m runway to flights in the mid-2020s.
The 1800ha site will initially service about 10 million passengers a year, making it the size of Adelaide Airport.
Video plans of the airport, produced by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, reveal where a second, parallel runway will be built by 2050.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce welcomed the news today saying Sydney needed the second airport at Badgerys Creek because Kingsford Smith airport is already operating at capacity.
“We are hopeful the airport will be open and running by the mid-2020s, and we are very keen on having that expansion,” he told Network Seven.
“Sydney is already full, Kingsford Smith is full, we have called for this capacity for sometime. With operations taking place hopefully from the mid-20s, which will be great for Sydney, NSW and Australia,” he said.
Plans for the Badgerys Creek airport have repeatedly faltered amid decades of government indecision and inaction. Federal Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said the new airport would generate 9000 jobs by 2030.
“Western Sydney Airport will bring big benefits for Western Sydney, for Sydney and for the nation,” he said.
“The new airport will be a major generator of jobs and economic activity for Western Sydney, both during construction but also once it is operational.” Mr Fletcher said existing structures at the airport are already being cleared.
But Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) president and Blacktown mayor Stephen Bali told ABC radio today no land has been aside outside the airport for a rail corridor to link into the airport.
“If the airport’s going to go ahead it’s got to be successful, it’s got to be the game changer for Sydney - at the moment there are too many short cuts and a lack of transparency,” he said.
The final plan for the airport shows a map of the suburbs that will be subject to the highest noise impact. They are Greendale, Luddenham, Twin Creaks and Wallacia.
Studies have found that without a second airport Sydney would be unable to meet the growing demand for travel. The commute to the current Sydney airport in Mascot can take as long as two hours. A $3.6 billion investment in road and rail links will connect the new airport to Sydney’s existing infrastructure.
Unlike Sydney Airport, the airport at Badgerys Creek will not have a curfew, meaning planes will be able to arrive and depart through the night.
Before construction starts, impact tests on the noise level, biodiversity, traffic flow and water contamination will need to be conducted.
The airport final plan also includes conditions surrounding the relocation of a local cemetery.
ALL ROADS LEAD WEST WITH $4B SURPLUS
TREASURER Gladys Berejiklian will announce at least a $4 billion budget surplus for 2016-17 as part of the half-yearly budget review.
She is expected to also promise more money for western Sydney roads, including the vital M12 east-west motorway that will connect to the Badgerys Creek airport.
Badgerys Creek airport: New bid to limit noise from jet aircraft
The $4 billion-plus surplus figure is understood to come under the record $4.7 billion surplus recorded in 2015-16. One reason for this is a decline in stamp duty growth. While house prices are still sky-high across Sydney, fewer homes have sold.
NSW has also lost some revenue through the GST formula because it is performing so well — causing it to have to forfeit money to other states.
The review will announce $16.4 million from Restart NSW towards the Badgerys Creek road package on top of $161 million already committed for upgrades of everything from the Werrington Arterial Road, to Bringelly Road to The Northern Road.
“We have worked hard over the last five years to turn NSW’s economy and budget position around and now we are in a position to spend record amounts on infrastructure,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Tomorrow’s half-yearly review will give an update on our work to transform this state and deliver the vital infrastructure the people of NSW need.”
The extra $16.4 million commitment from Restart NSW towards Western Sydney to support Sydney’s second airport at Badgerys Creek comes on top of $161.9 million in Restart NSW funding already allocated to the program between 2016-17 and 2018-19.
The combined $178.3 million provides the NSW government’s contribution for the completion of Werrington Arterial Road, Bringelly Road, The Northern Road between The Old Northern Road and Mersey Road and between Glenmore Parkway and Jamison Road, plus further planning for The Northern Road between Mersey Road and Glenmore Parkway as well planning for the M12.
— Andrew Clennell
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