CBD AND SOUTH EAST LIGHT RAIL PROJECT STATE SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE APPROVAL (SSI-6042) SUBMISSIONS REPORT TO PROJECT MODIFICATION JANUARY 2015 Contents Page number Glossary and abbreviations vii Executive summary ix 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.1.1 Overview of the CSELR Project 1 1.1.2 CSELR Project approvals 2 1.2 Overview of the proposed modifications 2 1.2.1 Reasons for the proposed modification 2 1.2.2 Key features of the proposed modifications 2 1.2.3 Key findings of the Modification Report 4 1.3 Purpose and content of this report 5 1.3.1 Purpose of this report 5 1.3.2 Structure of this report 5 2. Community and stakeholder consultation 7 2.1 Consultation during public exhibition of the modifications report 7 2.1.1 Stakeholder and community engagement 7 2.2 Consultation with the Department of Planning and Environment 9 2.3 Proposed future engagement 9 3. Overview of submissions 11 3.1 Analysis process 11 3.1.1 Receipt of submissions 11 3.1.2 Handling and responses to submissions 12 3.1.3 Consideration of petitions and form letters 13 3.2 Summary of issues 13 4. Government agency and project partner submissions 17 4.1 City of Sydney Council 17 4.2 Randwick City Council 18 4.3 University of NSW 18 Transport for NSW i CBD and South East Light Rail – Submissions Report – State Significant Infrastructure Approval (SSI-6042) 4.4 Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust 19 4.5 Sydney Water 19 4.6 Environment Protection Authority 19 5. Response to community and stakeholder submissions 71 5.1 Planning and statutory requirements 71 5.1.1 Assessment process and documentation 71 5.1.2 Planning approvals process 72 5.1.3 Contracts 73 5.1.4 Did not address previously raised concerns 73 5.2 Community and stakeholder consultation 74 5.2.1 Consultation regarding the proposed modifications 74 5.2.2 General concerns regarding Project consultation 76 5.3 Project alternatives 77 5.3.1 Alternative modes 77 5.3.2 Stop and maintenance/stabling location alternatives 78 5.3.3 Route alignment alternatives 80 5.4 Project justification and need 81 5.4.1 Need for the proposal 81 5.4.2 Patronage/growth forecasts 82 5.4.3 Project cost and value for money 82 5.5 Proposal design and operations 84 5.5.1 Catenary and APS 84 5.5.2 Capacity-related issues 85 5.5.3 Landscaping and public domain 86 5.5.4 Corridor and alignment 86 5.5.5 Light rail vehicles 87 5.5.6 Breakdowns 88 5.5.7 Frequency of service and trip duration 89 5.5.8 Randwick Stabling Facility 90 5.5.9 Light rail alignment 91 5.5.10 Stop location and design 92 5.5.11 World Square stop removal 94 5.5.12 Subway access at Moore Park 94 5.5.13 Accessibility 95 5.5.14 Traffic/bus/heavy rail integration 96 5.5.15 Moore Park tunnel 96 5.5.16 Retaining wall along Alison Road 97 5.5.17 Road configuration changes 98 5.5.18 Pedestrian Bridge – Moore Park 98 5.6 Proposal construction 99 5.6.1 Construction compounds 99 5.6.2 Project boundary 99 5.7 Traffic, transport and access 100 5.7.1 Traffic and access issues in operation 100 5.7.2 Pedestrian and cyclist impacts in operation 105 ii Parsons Brinckerhoff 5.7.3 Bus impacts 110 5.7.4 Intersection performance 111 5.7.5 Assessment approach 113 5.7.6 Other traffic, transport and access 114 5.8 Land use and property 115 5.9 Noise and vibration 117 5.10 Planted trees 119 5.11 Visual and landscape character 121 5.12 Built and non-Indigenous heritage 123 5.12.1 Impacts to heritage 123 5.13 Socio-economic 124 5.14 Ground and surface water 125 5.15 Land stability, soils and contamination 127 5.16 Biodiversity 128 5.17 Waste, energy and resources 129 5.18 Hazard and risk 129 5.18.1 General pedestrian impacts 129 5.18.2 Pedestrian crossing of Alison Road 130 5.18.3 Moore Park stop pedestrians 131 5.18.4 Other 132 5.19 Cumulative impacts 132 5.20 Issues external to the CSELR Modification Report 133 5.20.1 Car parking 133 5.20.2 High Cross Park 134 5.20.3 Other specific issues 135 5.21 Other issues raised 137 6. Design refinements and other design clarifications 141 6.1 Third track for entry into stabling facility 141 6.2 Retention of trees along Alison Road 141 6.3 Examples of wire-free infrastructure around the world 144 6.4 Operational noise treatments 144 6.5 Staff facilities building at Moore Park stop 145 7. Environmental management measures 147 7.1 Overview 147 7.1.1 Environmental management measures 147 7.1.2 Conditions of approval 147 7.2 Detailed design 148 Transport for NSW iii CBD and South East Light Rail – Submissions Report – State Significant Infrastructure Approval (SSI-6042) 7.3 Construction 153 7.4 Operation 162 8. Justification and conclusion 165 9. References 167 iv Parsons Brinckerhoff List of tables Page number Table 3.1 Summary of key issues raised in community submissions 13 Table 4.1 Issues raised by City of Sydney Council 20 Table 4.2 Issues raised by Randwick City Council 30 Table 4.3 Issues raised by the University of NSW 43 Table 4.4 Issues raised by Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust 59 Table 4.5 Issues raised by Sydney Water 68 Table 4.6 Issues raised by Environment Protection Authority 70 Table 5.1 Summary of specific issues relating to project cost and value for money 83 Table 5.2 Summary of submissions on stabling and maintenance facility aspects of the proposal design and operation 90 Table 5.3 Summary of submission relating to alignment changes 91 Table 5.4 Summary of submissions relating to stops 92 Table 5.5 Submissions relating to the Moore Park bridge crossing 98 Table 5.6 Summary of submission relating to traffic and access issues in operation 100 Table 5.7 Summary of submissions on pedestrian and cyclist impacts in operation 105 Table 5.8 Summary of submissions relating to intersection performance or intersection impacts 111 Table 5.9 Summary of submissions on assessment approach or availability of information 113 Table 5.10 Summary of other traffic, transport and access submissions 114 Table 5.11 Summary of submissions on land-use and property 115 Table 5.12 Summary of submissions on planted tree impacts 119 Table 5.13 Summary of submissions on visual and landscape character impacts 121 Table 5.14 Summary of submission relating to groundwater or surface water impacts 125 Table 5.15 Summary of submission relating to land stability and soils 127 Table 5.16 Summary of submissions on biodiversity 128 Table 5.17 Summary of submissions raising issues outside of the modification scope 135 Table 5.18 Summary of other issues raised in the consultation 137 Table 7.1 Revised environmental management measures for the proposed modifications – detailed design 148 Table 7.2 Revised environmental management measures for the CSELR proposal – construction 153 Table 7.3 Revised environmental management measures for the CSELR proposal – operation 162 Transport for NSW v CBD and South East Light Rail – Submissions Report – State Significant Infrastructure Approval (SSI-6042) List of figures Page number Figure 1.1 Location of proposed design modifications 3 Figure 3.1 Summary of key issues raised by the community 15 Figure 3.2 Breakdown of submissions by proposed modification 15 Figure 6.1 Clarification on the position of the turn back track at Royal Randwick Racecourse stop 142 Figure 6.2 Clarification on planted tree impacts along Alison Road realignment 143 Appendices Appendix A Key issue and sub issue categories Appendix B Table of issues per community submission vi Parsons Brinckerhoff Glossary and abbreviations APS Aesthetic Power Solution ARI average recurrence interval ATC Australian Turf Club (property managers of the Royal Randwick Racecourse) CBD central business district CEMP Construction Environmental Management Plan CPTED crime prevention through environmental design CSELR CBD and South East Light Rail CPMPT Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust dB (decibel) unit of measurement for sound pressure level DDA Disability Discrimination Act 1992 DP&E (NSW) Department of Planning and Environment EIS Environmental Impact Statement EMF electro-magnetic fields EMI electromagnetic interference EP&A Act (NSW) Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 EPA (NSW) Environment Protection Authority LRV light rail vehicle OHW overhead wire ONVR Operational Noise and Vibration Review NCA noise catchment area RFI radio frequency interference RMS (NSW) Roads and Maritime Service SCATS Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System SSI State Significant Infrastructure SSMF Soil, Stormwater and Flood Management Plan UNSW University of NSW Transport for NSW vii Executive summary Overview of the proposed modifications Planning approval for the CBD and South East Light Rail Project (CSELR Project) was granted by the Minister for Planning under Part 5.1 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) on 4 June 2014. Section 115ZI of the EP&A Act allows for the modification of State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) approvals granted by the Minister for Planning under the EP&A Act. Following determination of the CSELR Project, a series of proposed modifications have been developed as a result of ongoing consultation with stakeholders and design investigations. The proposed modifications to the CSELR project would result in a positive outcome overall in comparison to the approved project.