Western Sydney councils have expressed concern with a lack of news from the Australian government about promised community consultations over flight paths at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.

“The previously published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Western Sydney International Airport’s preliminary flight paths promised the establishment of a Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG) and the preparation of a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan by the end of 2024,” said Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) President, Councillor Brad Bunting.

“Yet here we are at the end of 2024, but no news of the Consultation Group or the Engagement Plan has been revealed.

“Nor does the recently published final EIS provide any detail as to the role and functions of the Consultation Group.

“Work is now well underway at the Western Sydney International Airport  which is due to come into service in 2026.”

One of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in Australia, the airport is being built on Commonwealth land at Badgerys Creek in the Liverpool City Council Local Government Area. 

The plan for the airport includes an initial single-runway handling up to 185,000 aircraft movements and 37 million passengers each year by around 2050, after which a dual runway is proposed with a maximum capacity of 370,000 aircraft movements per year and 82 million passengers by 2063. 

“With the commencement of flight operations looming ever closer, and while Western Sydney communities appreciate the enormous economic potential the new airport, community anxiety about the airport’s environmental and health impacts is mounting with independent studies warning of nighttime aircraft noise likely affecting residents in a swathe of Western Sydney suburbs,” said Councillor Bunting.

“This is of particular concern for our local residents since flight operations at Western Sydney International Airport will continue for 24-hours every day — unlike at Sydney Airport at Mascot where there is an embargo on night-time flights.”

Impacted suburbs could include Marsden Park, Luddenham, Greendale, Silverdale, Wallacia, Kemps Creek, The Oaks, Silverdale, Cobbitty, Erskine Park, Springwood, Rossmore, Liverpool, Kellyville, Parramatta, St Marys and Badgerys Creek.

“WSROC has strongly advocated for a consultative body that genuinely engages with Western Sydney communities over the future of the airport,” said Councillor Bunting.

“We need a consultative forum that has genuine standing with the federal government.”

“If history has taught us anything it’s that environmental impact studies do not get everything right, so it is absolutely vital that a formal mechanism is in place to especially address failures in the EIS to accurately predict impacts on local communities, as has been the case with other airports, not only in Australia but across the world,” said Councillor Bunting.  

“In its submission in response to the Australian Government’s Environmental Impact Study of the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of the airport’s proposed flight paths, WSROC noted that Western Sydney International Airport will be a work in progress that will span over three decades of development and operating activities.

“Unquestionably, the new airport will be a major economic benefit to Western Sydney, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and the nation’s third-largest economy.”

“However, ongoing consultation with local communities will be critical to ensure that matters of inter-regional equity are addressed, in terms of public health, amenity and economic opportunity.”

To this end, WSROC insists that a CACG must:

• Ensure that all reasonable measures are taken by Governments to minimise the effects of aircraft and airport operations on local communities.
• Achieve recognition of the CACG, by Governments, as the peak consultative group representing the interests of communities affected by aircraft and airport operations.
• Establish effective mechanisms by which it and the relevant member Councils are consulted by Governments during the early stages of planning for changes in airport operations, flight operations and major airport development proposals.
• Establish ongoing liaison with airline operators and other organisations having a vested interest in airport operations, with a view of achieving the recognition and understanding of matters of concern to communities affected by aircraft noise and airport operations and to establish a collaborative approach to seeking the resolution of those concerns.
• Press for the application of meaningful noise metrics in the development of appropriate land use plans for land surrounding airports and for an independent and transparent process for the verification of the noise footprint identified because of the application of those metrics.

“Equity or fairness about who is impacted needs to be also considered when scheduling aircraft movements, flight departure times and the direction of aircraft take-offs and landings,” said Councillor Bunting.

“There should be ongoing consultation with the community and stakeholder reference group to minimise to the extent practicable the impact of aircraft overflight noise.”

For copies of WSROC’s submission in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport Preliminary Flight Paths; along with

• Western Sydney International Airport Review of The Health Component of The Airspace and Flight Path Design Draft EIS
• Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) EIS – Acoustic Peer Review

• or go to wsroc.com.au/media-a-resources/submissions