Blue Mountains Mayor, Mark Greenhill was in Penrith today to address a Federal Senate inquiry into aircraft noise, on behalf of the community and city.
Cr Greenhill spoke against flight paths that affect the Blue Mountains, in favour of curfews and in support of legislated noise limits.
“The proposed flight paths do not take into account the unique character of the Blue Mountains, which is only one of two cities in the world located in a World Heritage Area,” Cr Greenhill said.
“The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was rushed through without appropriate consultation with UNESCO. Our World Heritage Status is in part dependent on demonstrating that impacts from development would not threaten the values that justified the nomination. The intensification of overflights is at odds with these values.”
Cr Greenhill also spoke about the impact of aircraft noise on tourism and small business.
“The Blue Mountains local economy is heavily reliant on visitors, and the majority of the tourism operators in the Blue Mountains are small businesses.
“The core reason that tourists from around the world flock to the Blue Mountains is for the experience of pristine wilderness. Aircraft noise and overflights will have a significant impact on the perception of the area as a place of tranquillity, solitude, respite and escape from urban living.”
Speaking about the impact of noise on the local community, Cr Greenhill stressed the importance of noise assessment appropriate to the landscape of the Blue Mountains.
“There has been no noise monitoring in locations with low ambient noise levels like the national park. Also, the noise monitoring locations shown in the draft EIS are close to the Great Western Highway, and not representative of our residential areas.
“The stark change for the Blue Mountains community from quiet nights to regular overflights at lower altitude is fundamentally inequitable,” Cr Greenhill said.
Cr Greenhill reiterated recommendations from Council’s submission to the draft EIS to allow for an equitable share of impact on Eastern and Western Sydney, including flight curfews and changes to flight paths.
“We are calling for a holistic review of the airspace architecture of the Sydney Basin, along with nighttime curfews, to equitably share impact across the Sydney Basin.”
The Senate’s Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Reference Committee, held in Penrith, examined the impact and mitigation of aircraft noise, including the effect of aircraft noise on residents and small business, along with flight curfews and changes to flight paths. It is due to report on the issue in October.
Image: Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill addressing the Federal Senate inquiry into aircraft noise, held in Penrith.
