This is copied from the Linden website which has excellent information on different topics https://lindenresidents.com/
I stand in strong opposition to the proposed day and night aircraft movements into and out of WSI, in particular, the lack of curfew, the lack of caps on hourly flights and the heavy concentration of nighttime flights over any one community. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Chapter 11, Aircraft Noise, identifies a number of communities as being noise sensitive areas, based on the extent of respite that they are likely to experience. This extent of respite for some communities - including Bents Basin, Luddenham, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Linden, Wallacia, Hassall Grove, Claremont Medows, St Marys, Mulgoa, Blaxland and Penrith - is allocated as between as little as 0% and 34% (Chapter 11, Aircraft, 11.7.3.3 Detailed respite charts, Figure 11.40 and Figure 11.41, page 69).
The WSI Noise Tool shows that these communities will be affected by: RWY05 Arrival (RNP) North Night, RWY05 Arrival East Night, RWY05 Arrival East Night (RRO), RWY05 Arrival North Night, RWY05 Arrival North Night (RRO), RWY05 Arrival West Night, RWY05 Arrival West Night (RRO), RWY05 Departure Northeast Night, RWY05 Departure West Night, RWY23 Arrival East Night, RWY23 Arrival North Night, RWY23 Arrival Northwest Night, RWY23 Arrival West Night, RWY23 Departure North Night, RWY23 Departure North Night (RRO), RWY23 Departure Northeast Night, RWY23 Departure Northeast Night (RRO), RWY23 Departure South Night, RWY23 Departure Southeast Night, RWY23 Departure West Night. Aircraft movements overnight will, for some communities, be as low as 3,937 feet (1,200 metres) once Blue Mountains communities such as Linden’s altitude is taken into consideration, and according to the WSI Noise Tool, “Some aircraft may fly at a lower altitude depending on weather and operational conditions”. There will be incredibly negative adverse effects from a lack of curfew and lack of caps on hourly flights, particularly for communities experiencing incredibly high concentrations of flights.
I also point out that while day flights do have the title of ‘Day’, they are set to operate until 11pm. Day flights that may be experienced by the above listed communities include: RWY05 Arrival East Day, RWY05 Arrival North Day, RWY05 Arrival North.2 (RNP) Day, RWY05 Arrival North.2 Day, RWY05 Arrival West Day, RWY05 Departure East Day, RWY05 Departure North (Non-Jet) Day, RWY05 Departure North Day, RWY05 Departure Northeast (Non-Jet) Day, RWY05 Departure South (Hot) Day, RWY05 Departure South (Non-Jet) Day, RWY05 Departure South Day, RWY05 Departure West Day, RWY05 Departure West Northwest Day, RWY23 Arrival East Day, RWY23 Arrival North Day, RWY23 Arrival West Day, RWY23 Departure East Day, RWY23 Departure North Day, RWY23 Departure South (Hot) Day, RWY23 Departure South (Non-Jet) Day, RWY23 Departure South Day, RWY23 Departure West Day.
I once more point out that “day flights” will, according to the WSI Noise Tool, occur between the hours of 5:30am and 11:00pm, with some communities experiencing up to 36 over head flights during ‘day’ hours. A lack of curfew means that communities with high concentrations of proposed flights will experience a minimum of 20 ‘nighttime’ aircraft movements in addition to ‘day’ flights that operate after sundown. This means that aircraft movements will occur over homes as low as approximately 1200 metres between the average sleeping hours of 9:00pm and 6:00am. Such an incredibly high number of overhead movements will severely impact quality of sleep and thus quality of life, and is a complete disregard for human health and wellbeing. An airport curfew and limiting hourly flight caps, just like SYD, is the only way to ensure that communities are afforded adequate respite.
I oppose these flight paths on the basis of the discrimination, unfairness and inequity that they inflict on the residents of The Blue Mountains, Western Sydney and South West Sydney, due to the complete lack of protection and unjust treatment of residents located in the above mentioned communities. This treatment is totally inequitable when compared to the protections that exist to safeguard the quality of sleep and quality of life of residents within close proximity to Sydney Airport (SYD) flight paths.
The draft EIS, Chapter 11 Aircraft Noise, offers suggestions for preference of runways that appear to offer overnight respite for some communities, but that then increase the impact on other communities. An example which shows this is the suggestion that the suburbs of St Marys, St Clair, Kingswood, Jordan Springs, Werrington and Orchard Hills may benefit from a particular runway operation. However, with the suggestion that allows these communities some respite, the suburbs including The Oaks, Warragamba, Silverdale, Cobbitty, Greendale, the town of Hazelbrook and the village of Linden, would then see an increase in noise exposure (page 59 and Subsequent Population Counts in Figure 11.33). This is a poor attempt to provide residents with ‘options’ for respite and has pitted communities against each other without recognition that residents of The Blue Mountains, Western Sydney and South West Sydney have the capacity to stand together to oppose such disruption to our lives.
A clear and ethical solution is to implement a curfew and implement caps on hourly flights, so that no community is affected by nighttime fights and so that all residents can maintain equitable quality of life, as is afforded to residents within the flight paths into and out of SYD.
It is completely unacceptable that a curfew and limit on flight caps would not be standard practice and that anyone would be subjected to heavy concentration of flights during sleeping hours when those in the areas surrounding SYD are afforded a curfew and flight caps. There is no justification for this discrimination and the idea that these conditions would be deemed appropriate shows a complete disregard for residents in Western Sydney, South West Sydney, and The Blue Mountains. A lack of curfew and frequent noise from nighttime airport operations without flight caps will disrupt sleep patterns, leading to insomnia or poor-quality sleep. Sleep disturbances are associated with various health problems, including cognitive impairment (particularly in children), and an increased risk of chronic diseases, poor concentration, depression, and stress. Such consequences strongly impact on quality of life including family and community welfare, and effectiveness in the workplace which then impacts economic and GDP outcomes. A curfew makes economic sense.
Project specific mitigation measures outlined in the draft EIS Chapter 11, Aircraft Noise and Chapter 20, Human Health, offer the inadequate solutions of post-implementation reviews and research projects. These mitigation measures will come too late and will not contribute to any reduction in the severity of the acute effects of 24-hour flights that will commence once WSI begins operations. These measures are not good enough to safeguard the quality of life of so many Western Sydney, South West Sydney and Blue Mountains residents, and, in particular, those living in areas that are affected by such an incredibly heavy concentration of flights.
Continual aircraft movement with no nighttime respite and no caps on flights is unacceptable. As previously stated, a clear solution to the inequity between residents surrounding SYD and residents surrounding WSI is to implement a curfew and caps on hourly flights, so that no community is affected by nighttime flights and so that all residents can maintain some quality of life, as is afforded to residents within the flight paths into and out of SYD.
