Plan to scrap Beaches Link tunnel: Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s bid to axe $10b tunnel

Newly-appointed Premier Dominic Perrottet is being urged to scrap the $10b Beaches-Link tunnel as part of a 10-point plan to aid western Sydney’s economic recovery from Covid.

A plan to save Western Sydney from economic ruin post pandemic would see the NSW Government scrap the Beaches Link toll road to the “no-growth peninsula” — instead replacing it with a Central River City Metro between Hurstville, Bankstown, Parramatta and The Hills.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chairman Christopher Brown has issued a plea to the new NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, calling on him to spearhead Western Sydney’s recovery by ditching the Beaches Link toll road for a new Metro line “travelling through the heart of Sydney’s population”.

The proposal is part of the Leadership Dialogue’s economic and social recovery plan.

“By 2036, 2.1 million people are expected to be living in the Central River City, which represents a growth of 29 per cent,” Mr Brown said. “The northern beaches will be home to 290,000 people in 2036, representing an increase of just eight per cent.”

Planning and Transport Minister Rob Stokes and Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chairman Christopher Brown.

He said there was a 56 per cent reliance on cars to travel to work in the Central River City.

Mr Brown said both parties were poised to shine a spotlight on western Sydney in the state’s recovery plan “and we have the projects to help them prove they mean it”.

“These signature projects can bust congestion, boost jobs, address heat islands, protect and provide our homes, improve the town centres, entertain and educate locals and end the tyranny of distance,” he said.

“We warmly welcome the huge infrastructure program underway and the new WestInvest fund to stimulate business and address social inequity.

“However, there is so much more to do in shaping our growth cities and suburbs and to secure the support of marginal voters across the west as we emerge from a tough Covid lockdown.”

Mr Brown is also rallying the troops to see the government form a bid committee to host the next available Commonwealth Games in western Sydney in an effort to showcase the new Western Sydney Airport and revitalise existing sporting hubs.

Meanwhile, the dialogue also called for a 20 per cent target of social and affordable housing invested above Metro station, funding the long-promised Castlereagh Corridor road from Blacktown to Richmond in an effort to provide evacuation routes and bust congestion, and

rallied for the government to commit to a “world class Indigenous Gallery and Museum” at Blacktown.

Mr Brown said there was a need for the government to build the Leppington Heavy Rail Link to link the Western Sydney Aerotropolis to the southwest, while also delivering more swimmable and recreational water for the West by “opening new beaches at Penrith Lakes, pulling down the fences at Prospect Reservoir and making Sydney Water the coordinating authority for cleaning our extensive river network”.

The bid to scrap the Beaches Link comes as Northern beaches MPs have dismissed rumours that the $10 billion tunnel could be scrapped by Mr Perrottet.

Suggestions that Mr Perrottet and new Transport Minister Rob Stokes have concerns about the project was reported by Channel 7 and sparked joy from anti-tunnel activists who are concerned about the environmental impact and the increase in traffic and congestion on the beaches.

The plan to build twin tunnels — connecting the Warringah Freeway at Cammeray and the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon to the Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation at Balgowlah and the Wakehurst Parkway at Seaforth – would see travel times to the city slashed.

However, Mr Stokes said on Thursday that while he had spoken to Mr Perrottet about the project before, he had not spoken to him about it since becoming Transport Minister at 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Mr Stokes, who is the Member for Pittwater and is ‘babysitting’ the transport portfolio as well as continuing in his role as Planning Minister, said the Government’s position on the tunnel is unchanged.

“The Government is committed to the project,” he told the Manly Daily.

“Mike Baird committed to the tunnel. Gladys Berejiklian committed to the tunnel.

“It’s a commitment of the Government.

“The Government took it to the election, people expect the Government to keep to its commitments.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes is sworn in by New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley at NSW Government House on October 6, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Dominic Perrottet has become the 46th premier of NSW following the resignation of Gladys Berejiklian while new National Party leader Paul Toole has become deputy premier, replacing John Barilaro. (Photo by Joel Carrett – Pool/Getty Images)

“The tunnel is going through the process, there is no change in that.”

However, he said that as he is now both Transport and Planning Minister there may be some conflict of interest, as on the one hand he is the proponent and on the other he is the consent authority. He said that was something he would have to get advice on.

Manly MP James Griffin also dismissed the rumours, saying it was “just fear mongering”.

While, Liberal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski said his only comment was, “It is happening or else”.

Independent Warringah MP Zali Steggall said traffic congestion on the northern beaches was some of the worst in Sydney and said any suggestion that Mr Perrottet was ditching the project without putting up an alternative transport and traffic solution was “alarming”.

Warringah MP Zali Steggall.

In response to the Premier’s investment ambitions for Western Sydney, she said:

“If Premier Perrottet is going to be the new Premier for Western Sydney, he should be wary of taking the north side for granted”.

Meanwhile, anti-tunnel campaigners have been spurred into writing to the new Premier in support of axing the project.

On the Facebook group Beaches Link Tunnel – How it impacts you, followers are being encouraged to write to the Premier, as well as Mr Stokes. One wrote, "Do we dare to hope?”.

Terry Le Roux, leading the anti-tunnel charge, said he would welcome Mr Perrottet announcing that he would be reassessing the project, while allowing the proper processes to continue.

Andrew Constance

He said in reality the Government has to follow through with the Environmental Impact Statement process which is currently assessing the 1430 public submissions on the project, 90 per cent of which are against it.

Many of those who have objected to Beaches Link are concerned with air pollution, especially near schools, caused by vehicle exhaust gases drawn from the tunnels by large ventilation stacks at Seaforth and Balgowlah.

Others have voiced concerns that the tunnel would attract more cars and people into the northern beaches; noise and vibrations during construction and; potentially damage bushland and water course.

Mr Le Roux was confident that the tunnel will not go ahead when “reality kicks in”.

He said after the EIS is determined, the Government will then have to create a business plan and the numbers won’t stack up.

“The pandemic has changed everything,” Mr Le Roux said.

“People are going to work smarter.

“If they need to go into the city, they won’t have to travel at peak times.”

He said the Government won’t be able to justify spending $10b on easing congestion on Military Rd.

“It is a financial dog for the Government,” he said.