By Charlene Gatt
THE Fair Go for Footscray Rail Residents group has called on Maribyrnong City Council to boost their advocacy efforts following the release of noise and vibration impact assessments for the Regional Rail Link.
Spokesperson Nick Fahey last week urged the council to strengthen their public and behind-the-scenes advocacy to ensure the protection of residents and traders affected by the Regional Rail Link.
“The council has yet to pass a formal motion in respect of this matter, leaving council officers without a clear mandate for more robust advocacy,” he said.
The call comes after the Environment Protection Authority released a technical review Regional Rail Link noise and vibration assessment at the request of the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD).
The EPA identified severe health impacts for a large number of Footscray residents and said the report provided no actual assessment of the impact on the community.
“In Footscray, for the most exposed residents, a vast majority of the population will experience chronic noise-induced sleep disturbance, with significant proportions ‘highly disturbed’,” the EPA report read.
“For the most exposed residents in other areas, almost half the community will experience chronic noise-induced sleep disturbance… the proposed avoidance and mitigation measures will not be effective at addressing the adverse environment effects of noise from rail operations.
“Significant adverse community reaction may be expected, associated with high degrees of sleep and other domestic interference from noise.”
