Western Sydney reacts to Federal government’s alternate flight path proposal

New plans aimed at addressing controversial flight paths for Western Sydney Airport has been lambasted as a ‘token gesture’ that ‘dumps on’ southwest Sydney and provides false hope for the Blue Mountains.

Members of RAWSA Residents Against Western Sydney Airport have called the new flight plans “false hope”. Picture: Supplied

Controversial flight path plans for Western Sydney Airport have sparked fury among communities neighbouring Badgerys Creek, slammed as a ‘token gesture’ and a bid for the Labor Government to claw back a major seat.

The Federal Government quietly unveiled two new options for flight paths last week in response to 8477 submissions received highlighting major issues including the impacts of aircraft noise on residents and the environment.

It comes as a public hearing takes place in Penrith on Friday, as part of a senate inquiry into the impacts and mitigation of aircraft noise from Western Sydney Airport.

Under the revised plan, jets between 11pm and 5.30am will depart and arrive along runways from the southwest when there is calm wind conditions, no rain, and less than 20 flights travelling per hour.

This new flight path diverts planes over parts of Campbelltown including Rosemeadow, St Helens Park, Gilead and Menangle Park as well as suburbs along west Camden and northern Wollondilly. Residents could be hit with aircraft noise loud enough to “disturb conversation” from 11pm onwards at 60-80 decibels and flights as low as 750 metres.

Map of new alternate flight path proposed for jets travelling between 11pm and 5.30am. Picture: Western Sydney Airport

The plan has remained the same for night flight paths in southwest Sydney, but also included a northeast route for departing flights. Picture: Western Sydney Airport

In contrast, the World Health Organisation recommends levels for night noise exposure for aircraft noise be limited to 40 decibels.

Previously flights travelling east from the airport would depart in a northerly direction over the mid-Blue Mountains before continuing east.

The new option was tabled following mounting pressure about air traffic from environmentalists and residents living northeast from the airport, notably communities in the Blue Mountains.

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport stated this new pathway would limit impacts to “lower density rural and rural-residential zones” in the proposal. But Camden and Wollondilly councils argued that would no longer be the case by 2036 when state government plans for upwards of 100,000 additional residents settle in.

One of the new masterplanned communities under construction in Edmondson Park, along with numerous others to account for population growth planned for Sydney’s southwest. Picture: Supplied

Wollondilly resident Paul Guy said the area had become the government’s “dumping ground” once again, with most of the redirected flights going over them instead.

Wollondilly is most significantly impacted by the proposal with areas in the southern half of Silverdale and northern parts of Werombi experiencing over 20 movements per night in 2033, before bumping up to over 50 by 2055.

Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said their council had raised concerns with “multiple ministers over many years” but it’s clear the electorates “either held by the current federal government or are highly marginal electorates” like the Blue Mountains are being prioritised.

Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said electorates held by federal government ministers and marginal seats have been prioritised over the southwest region. Picture: Social media

However, due to the necessary conditions for safe travel, the amended route will only be “available approximately 78 per cent of nights” according to a Department of Infrastructure spokesman.

Community action group Residents Against Western Sydney Airport known as RAWSA, has labelled the proposal as a “token gesture”.

Members of RAWSA Residents Against Western Sydney Airport at a recent rally. Picture: Supplied

“The adjustments do nothing to ameliorate the noise that will be experienced day and night by western Sydney and the densely populated areas further down the Mountains,” a RAWSA spokesman said.

“They are taking a piecemeal approach rather than a holistic one and just reacting to the noisiest people at the time.”

RAWSA President, Jenny Dollin said the proposal gave “false hope” due to its “numerous operational caveats”, meaning the so-called relief for Blue Mountains’ areas such as Linden would be “ineffectual”.

“Operations cannot be used all the time due to wind and rain conditions which will cause flights to take normal daytime operations, on average it rains 112 days a year at Badgerys Creek,” she said.

Members of RAWSA Residents Against Western Sydney Airport at a recent rally. Picture: Supplied

St Clair resident Ken Mott said the announcement of the plans coincidentally a week before community groups were due to give evidence in the senate inquiry showed it was “purely a political move”.

Mr Mott said it was “an attempt to placate communities in the Blue Mountains” to secure the federal seat of Macquarie, amid growing opposition toward the airport.