Canterbury-Bankstown Council has rejected the Sydney Metro rail project as well as plans to build thousands of homes along the corridor.
Councillors put community before politics last week, unanimously voting to endorse two separate submissions to the NSW Government, opposing both the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro and its urban renewal strategy as they stand.
Mayor Khal Asfour also criticised the Government for putting parts of the Metro out to tender before “the ink dries”.
“What’s the point of asking for submissions, if they’re not even going to seriously consider them,” Cr Asfour said.
The Government extended the deadline for council’s submission on the Metro until December 1 to give the councillors, who were only elected in October, time to digest the chunky documents.
The Sydenham to Bankstown Metro includes a 13.5km upgrade and conversion of the T3 Bankstown Line to Metro standards.
But the council sees a “clear disparity” between the investment in the north and south rail projects.
“The $12 billion Metro North-West rail line will feature a 15km tunnel and sky train, while the $6 billion South-West section, from Sydenham to Bankstown, will be above ground,” Cr Asfour said. The council is endorsing plans to sink 3km of the Metro link, placing it underground from Punchbowl to Bankstown.
Liberal Councillor Charlie Ishac said while he did not support the Metro as it stood, he said to reject the investment completely would “defy logic”.
“By saying no to this, we are saying no to new trains, to faster and air conditioned trains. We’re asking our community to be forgotten,” Cr Ishac said.
At Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors also wholly rejected the Government’s Sydenham to Bankstown urban renewal strategy in its current form.
The strategy will lead to 35,000 homes with heights of up to 25 storeys being built along the rail corridor.
Cr Asfour said he feared the area would become a “concrete jungle” under the proposed priority precincts and the housing would come before the Metro was upgraded.
A Department of Planning spokesman said it “takes all council submissions seriously” and all the matters raised can be addressed.
The department is also finalising a draft Special Infrastructure Contribution Plan, which would require developers to contribute towards upgrading and building essential infrastructure, such as schools and parks.
WHAT AN UNDERGROUND LINE IN BANKSTOWN WOULD LOOK LIKE
