Inner West families will protest exploratory drilling for the Westconnex tunnel by creating colourful chalk and art masterpieces by local children at the planned site.
“The drilling which will take place on the children’s art works mirrors the destruction that this community could face if the Westconnex tunnel comes through this residential area,” said Emma Pierce a local resident of Roberts St and member of the WestConnex Action Group.
“We’re fighting for our homes and for the fabric of this great family-based community, which will be destroyed if this tunnel is built under us,” Ms Pierce said.
Residents from St Peters, Sydenham and Tempe quickly banded together to form the WestConnex Action Group when surveyors turned up unannounced to say they’ll start drilling immediately.
“We are getting no information about this, and we do not want this WestConnex tunnel underneath our homes when there are other viable industrial options that won’t tear apart a local community of young families,” Ms Pierce said.
The final route has yet to be decided on by WestConnex, but the drill sites are a concerning indication of where the tunnel could go. The drill sites are located under residential housing across the three suburbs and include next to Sydney Park as well as schools & pre-schools.
Residents are concerned that we will be impacted in the following ways:
- Air pollution from smoke stacks and on/off ramps
- Constant ground vibrations from living on top of a heavily trafficked tunnel
- Property acquisitions by the government in certain locations
- Infrastructure impact around schools, pre-schools and child-care centres
- Reduced property values
NSW Health has identified health concerns related to similar tunnel construction which are heightened for young children.
“There are alternative routes under industrial land that WestConnex could use that would have minimal impacts to the community, but we have major concerns about the viability of the entire project being located in the Inner West,” Ms Pierce said.