WestConnex accused of favouring new bottle shop over a high school for tunnel site to avoid paying massive compensation bill

WESTCONNEX will choose a massive tunnelling site next to a high school simply to avoid paying millions of dollars in compensation to retail giant Woolworths, the motorway’s critics say.

Federal Labor MP for Grayndler Anthony Albanese and former Labor mayor of Leichhardt, Darcy Byrne, outside the old Leichhardt tram sheds, with parents and students of Sydney Secondary College who are concerned the site will be used for a WestConnex tunnel construction site.

WESTCONNEX will choose a massive tunnelling site next to a high school simply to avoid paying millions of dollars in compensation to retail giant Woolworths, the motorway’s critics say.

Meeting records reveal that land next to the Leichhardt Campus of Sydney Secondary College is being favoured for an midpoint tunnel to allow work on the underground M4-M5 Link from Haberfield to St Peters.

Sydney Motorway Corporation, overseeing construction of the toll road, is also examining the site of the Woolworth’s-owned Dan Murphy’s bottle shop in Darley Rd Leichhardt as a potential tunnel “dive site”.

But minutes of a February 7 meeting between SWC and the Inner West Council — released by the Council which is opposed to WestConnex — record senior SWC official Peter Jones saying that the site near the school “would involve less in compensation as there is currently an active use on the Darley Rd site — i.e. a liquor store”.

The minutes also record Mr Jones stating that “at this stage SMC prefers the Derbyshire Rd site (near the school) over Darley Rd”.

SMC yesterday said no decision on the dive tunnel location had yet been made and the Derbyshire St site, which is close to the school and the City West Link, could significantly reduce the number of trucks on nearby local roads.

Woolies spent millions of dollars fitting out the rundown former furniture factory in Darley Rd so that it could open the bottle shop in December last year despite knowing that the land, owned by the Government’s RailCorp, could be compulsorily acquired for WestConnex.

A Dan Murphy’s liquor outlet, similar to this one, opened on Darley Rd, Leichhardt in December knowing that the site may end up being acquired by the State government to make way for WestConnex.

The property development company, which is leasing the site from the government until 2038, is subleasing the property to Woolworths.

Tdrahhciel Property Development Project said it is “still in the dark” about the future of the site.

Spokesman Shane Barr said yesterday that he was given unofficial advice last year that Darley Rd would be used as the tunnel dive site and he had started to work out what compensation was appropriate.

“I’ve asked for official notification of that, but haven’t received anything even though they said we’d know by the end of January,” Mr Barr said.

“We’ve been spending money on employing a Senior Counsel, a forensic accountant and others based on the advice it was going to be taken from us.

“So the news on the weekend that the dive site might be somewhere else came out of the blue.”

On Sunday former Leichhardt Labor mayor Darcy Byrne and Federal Labor MP for Grayndler, Anthony Albanese, met college students and parents who fear the noise, dust and truck movements at the dive site will have a devastating effect on the education and health of students.

Mr Byrne said the Government was “seeking to protect a liquor store by destroying a school”.

“The Government needs to come clean on what negotiations have been going on with Woolworths behind closed doors about the Darley Rd site.

“Tens of millions of dollars of public money and the future of a school community are at stake and the public has a right to know what’s going on.”

Woolworths confirmed that Dan Murphy’s was aware the Leichhardt site was one of many options being considered as part of the M4-M5 Link proposal.

“We will consult with the Government should this site be the preferred option,” a spokesman said.

The Education Department said it has held discussions with SMC about the possible Derbyshire Rd dive site location

“The Department acknowledges that in a growing city such as Sydney, schools will, from time to time, need to accommodate construction close to its boundary.”

Leichhardt Against WestConnex spokeswoman Catherine Gemmell said it does not want a dive site at either site.

“LAW thinks that both sites are unsuitable,” Ms Gemmell said.

“SMC is dividing the community. Peter Jones told us in November that if no suitable site existed, they would have to do without a midpoint dive site.”

An anti-WestConnex rally in Darley Rd in September last year called on the State government to drop the idea for a midpoint dive tunnel for the proposed M4-M5 Link. Picture: Craig Wilson

Greens State MP for Balmain Jamie Parker agreed that the latest proposals for the dive site was a “ruse designed to divide the community”.

“SMC are proposing a four year occupation of either site with hundreds of movements of heavy vehicles, spoil trucks and contractor vehicles,” he said.

“This is yet another example of the kind of planning on the run which has been characteristic of the WestConnex project since the start.”

Council administrator Richard Pearson said it does not support either site and that a report commissioned by council identified an alternative option at the Rozelle Railyards as a possible ‘least worst’ compromise. However, SMC has ruled this site out due to potential conflict with light rail operations.

“As a town planner myself, I know that you look to exclude heavy engineering construction sites such as that proposed by SMC from locations close to sensitive land uses — and I would have thought a school for almost 1000 students would fit that bill”, Mr Pearson said.

A SMC spokesman said yesterday that the two locations “are being explored” for the required mid-tunnel construction site between Haberfield and Rozelle.

“Further information about construction, including short-listed temporary construction site locations for the project will be available when the M4-M5 Link draft design is released in the coming weeks,” he said.

“SMC and Roads and Maritime are continuing discussions with stakeholders including the Department of Education and the local community.”

Originally published as WestConnex accused of favouring new bottle shop over a high school for tunnel site to avoid paying massive compensation bill