Article: Government admits lack of talk on Brisbane's road building

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Government admits lack of talk on Brisbane's road building

Government admits lack of talk on Brisbane's road building
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger and Craig Johnstone

July 15, 2009 12:00am

AUSTRALIA'S biggest road construction project is being pushed through suburban Brisbane without proper consultation, the Government has admitted.

Residents living near the $4.8 billion Airport Link tunnel say they have endured constant noise and dust while being left in the dark about the mammoth project.

Others claim they have been forced to sell up or move into hotels to get away from the construction zone.

Southeast Queensland is paying the price of progress as the region becomes a giant construction zone.

On the Gold Coast, residents insist the building and operation of the troubled Tugun desalination plant has damaged their homes, while Sunshine Coast property owners continue to protest against plans to build the Traveston Dam.

Last night, Minister for Infrastructure Sterling Hinchliffe admitted consultation by the consortium on the Airport Link had not been good enough.

"There has been some incidents that really haven't been good enough, and I'm making that clear to the companies," he said. "Issues such as last Sunday, where there were some extremely noisy night works, despite residents being told that none were scheduled - that is genuinely not good enough."

But construction director Russ Beynon said the consortium had consulted widely with the community.

"The feedback we get is that they've seen a lot of the stuff that is planned, but until it actually hits their doorstep, they haven't understood the scale and magnitude of the project," he said.

Most of the Airport Link construction activity has centred around suburban Lutwyche and Kedron.

But Wooloowin residents are the latest to join a growing list of affected areas, with plans to sink a 42m underground shaft enclosed inside a 17m high shed.

Queensland Co-ordinator General Colin Jensen will decide whether to let the work go ahead after public submissions on the plan close on Friday.

Kent Rd residents Glenn Cotton and Samantha Walls, who live within metres of the proposed shaft and are expecting their first child, say they had not been given the chance to voice their opposition.

"We only got one letter in the mail," Mr Cotton said. "No one has officially put anything to us. "There was no feedback at all, or a chance for us to have our say."

Wooloowin Residents Group response co-ordinator Brian Nally said residents were concerned about likely dust and noise from the shaft.

Residents in other areas say construction noise and road closures have gone beyond what was promised by BrisConnections.

One Lutwyche resident says he plans to sell his home because all-night construction work and constant battles with BrisConnections had become overwhelming.

"It will cost me $100,000 to butt heads with BrisConnections," Marc Duncalfe said. "I would prefer to get out and get on with my job. I have just had enough."

Locals made 68 complaints to BrisConnections in March, followed by 102 complaints in April and 125 in May.