OUTRAGED Brimbank residents will protest the Regional Rail Link Authority’s plans to build massive sound-proofing walls along the Deer Park stretch of the $5 billion project.
Dozens of residents will rally at an information session in Sunshine tomorrow night that will outline noise mitigation, including potential sound walls and doubled-glazed windows, touted for Ardeer.
Residents claim the proposed works will destroy the suburb’s visual amenity and effectively cut it in half.
Ardeer resident Ruth O’Reilly said that while she supported the RRL project, it should not be built at the expense of the suburb.
“Sound walls will have devastating effects on our area and we will end up with two halves of Ardeer and a very ugly noise wall that will stop communities from easily getting from one side to the other,’’ she said.
‘‘Not only will it visually divide our community but it will be an eyesore and most likely end up covered in graffiti.’’
Fix the Links spokeswoman Geraldine Brooks said the group wanted the railway cut below street level at the Deer Park corridor, similar to that being built in Wyndhamvale. The cut-in would involve surface mining to remove rock, soil and clay to construct an open cutting at least eight metres deep to reduce predicted noise.
Ms Brooks said the group was seeking an urgent meeting with the state government and the RRL.
“This is a once-in-a-100- year project and it needs to be undertaken carefully and with genuine community consultation.”
Resident Maurice Sibelle said the most important aspect of the government’s recently revised sound policy was ensuring it reduced noise pollution.
“I’m not opposed completely to a wall because I think it could play a role in reducing noise,” he said.
“There could be a hybrid of treatments including a smaller noise wall, noise mounding and tree planting all used in conjunction with each other.”
State Transport Minister Terry Mulder said a new noise policy provided a clear process for rail project planners to consider.
“The policy allows careful consideration of amenity issues when there is a major change to the rail infrastructure in close proximity to homes or where new homes are planned close to railways,” he said.
‘‘While Victoria has a range of laws that cover how noise is managed in the community, until now there has been limited guidance on how to apply the existing broad legislative requirements to noise from passenger rail investments.”
RRL spokesman Bob Neilson said extensive rail noise assessments had been undertaken to identify areas along the corridor where predicted rail noise required noise treatment consideration under the policy.
The project will allow regional and metro trains to be separated by early 2016.
Tomorrow’s information session is at Sunshine George Cross Soccer Club, Chaplin Reserve, Anderson Road, Sunshine, from 4-8pm.
