Government announces Outer Sydney Orbital backdown
AFTER 88 days and fierce community backlash, the NSW Government has announced it will back down on the draft M9 Outer Sydney Orbital corridor, saving hundreds of properties.
Macarthur
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AFTER 88 days and fierce community backlash, the NSW Government has announced it will back down on the draft M9 Outer Sydney Orbital corridor, saving hundreds of properties in the process.
Following extensive community consultation, the Government will return to the 1951 route for Bells Line of Road Castlereagh connection and scrap the section of the M9 orbital north of Richmond Road.
Communities in the Macarthur region, including Cawdor, Grasmere, Ellis Lane and Brownlow Hill, will be relatively untouched under the new proposal, with a 10km tunnel set to be built and leaving properties largely unscathed.
Roads, Maritime and Freight Minister Melinda Pavey said the Government had listened to the community’s wishes.
“Today’s announcement means these communities have certainty,” Ms Pavey said.
“These changes reflect the voice of the community, in particular the decision to continue with the corridor connection around Castlereagh and the commitment to building a tunnel on the Outer Sydney Orbital from north of Cobbitty Rd to southeast of Cawdor Rd.”
Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the changes would allow future governments the ability to build transport networks in 30 or 40 years time.
“If we don’t have this conversation today, it will make for an unliveable western Sydney,” Mr Ayres said.
“It will also mean the cost of those future infrastructure items will be so large that communities will have to miss out on other government services.”
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Camden state Liberal MP Chris Patterson and Wollondilly state Liberal MP Jai Rowell said in a joint statement the changes were a huge win for the Macarthur region community.
“The community has spoken and their feedback has helped refine the corridors. This is a win for communities around Cawdor,” the statement announced.
“The Government will not gazette the remaining corridors until further refinements of the alignment are considered with affected property owners and communities.”
The tunnel, between the southeast of Cawdor Rd and the north of Cobbitty Rd, will not include any capabilities for freight rail.
The NSW Government will review the need for freight rail in the Outer Sydney Orbital corridor in future decades.
The historic Denbigh House will also be protected, with plans to investigate a curtilage zone, north of Cobbitty Rd, to protect the property’s visual amenity.
The Hume Motorway interchange will also be adjusted to be better use Government-owned land.
The changes to the proposed Outer Sydney Orbital will nearly halve the number of residential properties directly impacted, from 399 to 200.
Submissions to Transport for NSW will continue to be reviewed, with the feedback to inform further adjustments to the corridor in the coming months.
The proposed Outer Sydney Orbital corridor is expected to be gazetted by the end of the year, although the Government says it will not take place until further refinements are considered with affected property owners and communities.