Flat Rock Gully announced as ‘preferred’ construction site for new Sydney tunnel
Residents of a north shore suburb have said decades of bush regeneration works will be for nothing if a reserve is turned into a mass construction site - as proposed by the state government.
North Shore
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A north shore nature reserve has been confirmed as the State Government’s preferred location for a construction site for the Beaches Link tunnel – sparking concerns over heavy truck movements, loss of trees and impacts on wildlife.
Residents fear a 30 year effort to regenerate Flat Rock Gully Reserve in Naremburn will be “decimated” by plans to transform a 1.5ha eastern section of the green space into a construction support zone.
Plans released on Tuesday show Roads and Maritime Services will also use government-owned land within Cammeray Golf Course during construction periods.
Flat Rock Gully Reserve was one of two locations the department considered for the compound. The other was the Flat Rock Baseball Diamond opposite the site – the homeground of sporting clubs including North Sydney Junior Baseball.
RMS said the temporary construction site at the reserve would be used to cart soil from tunnelling works for up to five years during construction periods.
“We need a temporary construction site that provides us with access to the middle section of the project. Without it, it would be like trying to renovate a house with the only access being through the front door,” the department said.
Resident Diana Weston, who has lived in the area for 39 years, said the proposal would unwind three decades of bush regeneration works in area.
She said the reserve, formerly used as a dump site, had become home to various wildlife including eagles, bandicoots, wallabies, powerful owls and native vegetation.
“The park is used by dog walkers, joggers, parents with prams and so much work has gone into transforming (the site),” she said.
“What’s being proposed will eliminate all the natural bush which is full of small birds.
“They’re saying it’s going to be temporary but it will take another 30 years to restore because that’s how long its taken to get it to where it is now.”
RMS said spoil including sandstone and landfill would be brought to the surface inside an acoustic shed within the reserve before being loaded onto covered trucks.
Plans show heavy vehicles would transport materials off-site via Flat Rock Dr and Brook St to the Warringah Fwy. RMS has not released details about how many trucks would access the site per day, but said heavy vehicle movements would be limited to 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm Saturday.
Residents have also raised concerns over the impact of truck movements on Flat Rock Dr – the main thoroughfare linking Willoughby to Crows Nest.
“It’s impossible to imagine that degree of movement not impacting that traffic – it’s not only a major artery for commuters but for residents,” Ms Weston said.
“Trucks will take up two lanes coming out of the site (onto Flat Rock Dr) and then they’ll have to go up the hill at 10-20kmh before they pick up speed. It’s just mind boggling that road would be considered.”
The RMS said the reserve would be remediated and returned after construction was completed.
“We understand the importance of public open space to the community. When we are done, there will be opportunities to provide new recreational facilities or reinstate the site to bushland, depending on community preferences,” the department said.
RMS said it was also working with Cammeray Golf Club to minimise impacts and there was scope to retain a nine hole course during construction periods.
The department said more information on impacts to vegetation, construction vehicle movements and jobs would be available in the Beaches Link Environmental Impact Statement which is expected to be on public exhibition from mid-2020.