Western Sydney Airport

Western Sydney Airport Badgerys Creek Airport
Outline of airport site (in blue)  – land acquired by the Commonwealth.
Badgerys Creek Road and Parkland, within the proposed airport site.
IATA: SWZ – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Public (proposed)
Serves	Western Sydney
Location	Badgerys Creek, New South Wales, Australia
Elevation AMSL	262 ft / 80 m
Coordinates	33°52′46″S 150°44′23″E / 33.87944°S 150.73972°E / -33.87944; 150.73972Coordinates: 33°52′46″S 150°44′23″E / 33.87944°S 150.73972°E / -33.87944; 150.73972
Map
SWZ Location in Greater metropolitan Sydney
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft Asphalt

The Western Sydney Airport, also known as Badgerys Creek Airport is a designated site for the second Sydney airport, located within the suburb of Badgerys Creek. The site was officially designated by the Federal Government on 15 April 2014, after decades of debate on location of the airport.^[1]

The site of the proposed airport is situated 44 kilometres (27 mi) west of the Sydney CBD and 41 km (25 mi) west of the Kingsford Smith Airport. The site is within the City of Liverpool local government area and consists of approximately 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of Commonwealth land that was acquired between 1986 and 1991.^[2]

The Federal Government claims the initial construction phase is expected to generate around 4,000 jobs, the airport development is expected to create 35,000 jobs by 2035, increasing to 60,000 jobs over time.^[1]

Initial development

The site at Badgerys Creek was chosen because:

• it was considered the preferred site by successive studies including an environmental impact statement that was completed in 1999;^[2]
• the Government continues ownership of the land which is sufficient for the initial airport development;
• the site is protected by long-term planning and zoning restrictions; and
• the New South Wales Government proposed to expand the Western Sydney Employment Area (WSEA) which would see the airport abutted by land zoned for industry and commerce.

It is planned that the airport will be built in phases. The initial construction phase would see a smaller airport with a single runway. The cost of the initial development has been estimated at A$2.4 billion (as at 2012) and to generate 4,000 jobs. The government plans the initial phase would be complete and operational by 2025.^[3] Sydney Airport Corporation, the operator of Sydney Airport, was given the right of first refusal to build and operate any second airport in an agreement reached with the Government when Sydney Airport was sold in 2002.^[4]

It is believed the initial phase, with only one runway, would be favourable for budget airlines and airlines offering point to point travel. The airport will not have a night time curfew.^[4]

Ground transport

With the designation of site as the location of Sydney's Second Airport, announcements were made on new and upgraded transport links to the airport and surrounding areas of western Sydney. The announcement included:^[5]

• A new east-west motorway to the airport, along the current alignment of Elizabeth Drive between the M7 Westlink Motorway and The Northern Road
• Upgrading of The Northern Road (A9) to a minimum of four lanes from Narellan to the M4 Western Motorway
• Upgrading of Bringelly Road to a minimum of four lanes between The Northern Road and Camden Valley Way

As at 16 April 2014 the Federal Government has said it had no plans to build a train line. However it indicated provision for the train line would be included in the development, this may include preparing the tunnels under the runway as part of the runway construction and preparing the underground space for a station. It is likely the rail connection to the airport would consist of an extension to the South West Rail Link from Leppington.^[6] In October 2015, Malcolm Turnbull indicated that the Badgerys Creek Airport would need both road and rail links to Sydney.^[7]

The site of the planned airport is presently serviced by bus. As at April 2014, route 801 connects Badgerys Creek to Liverpool^[8] while route 789 runs between Luddenham and Penrith.^[9]

Current site

The site of the proposed airport is an area of undulating low lying hills with several small watercourses and lakes. The area is primarily farmland and large acreage allotments.

• Site area as at May 2014
• 

  Northern boundary of site at Elizabeth Drive near Badgerys Creek Rd

• 

  Looking east toward the central site area from Anton Road

• 

  Looking west toward the central site area from Longleys Road

• 

  Looking east toward southern site are from The Northern Road

Development milestones

• 15 April 2014 - Federal Government designated Badgerys Creek as the site for the Second Sydney Airport. Commencement of planning for the site.
• 18 August 2014 - Federal Government formally issues a 'Notice to Consult' to the Sydney Airport Group, to enable formal discussion on development and 'Right of First Refusal' to develop and operate it.^[10]
• 20 January 2015 - Construction begins on upgrading Bringelly Road. This is the first major upgrade to one of the 3 roads servicing the airport.^[11]
• 20 January 2015 - Geotechnical investigations, to profile the subsoil and rock, begin on the airport site.^[12]
• June 2015 - Residents vacate government land reserved for airport.^[13]
• 19 October 2015 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released for public exhibition to enable community consultation.^[14]

Future construction timeline

• 18 December 2015 - Public exhibition and submission period for the draft EIS closes.^[14]
• June 2016 - Final EIS to be prepared, approval by the Minister for the Environment.^[14]
• Mid 2016 - Construction to start.^[1]

See also

• Second Sydney Airport
• List of airports in Greater Sydney
• Badgerys Creek, New South Wales

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Sydney Airport.

http://westernsydneyairport.gov.au/