* Notice of Motion to be put to City of Sydney Council Monday10/04/2010
* Greens MP Sylvia Hale to speak at Rally
* Questions for Transport Minister
* If you can help out on the day (1 hour would be awesome - contact us through facebook)

-----------------------

Why, you might ask, is Save Oxford Street supporting the 'Attack the Stack' campaign?

Because the people behind SOS and the group it grew out of, Darlinghurst Business Partnership, are not just interested in the fortunes of a retail strip. We are about community, which includes residents, businesses and the people who visit. All have rights and all have responsibilities.

Unfortunately, the rights of the community in East Sydney are being trampled by a fourth group, those that pass through. As Jan Gehl so rightly pointed out in his report for the City of Sydney: that people, in a 21st Century, International city should have to apply for permission for anything from cars, is absurd in the extreme.

To have to apply for the air we breathe is taking it to another level entirely!

All of Eastern Sydney is affected by this stack (and its sibling on Flinders Street). They concentrate fumes which then billow into houses, businesses and schools, instead of being mopped up by readily availible, existing technology.

Air quality and the pulminary health are serious and acknowledged issues. Even Mr Rudd seems to think so - surely filtering these fume concentration points is a no-brainer?

Save Oxford Street and Attack the Stack share a fundamental issue in common: both are grass roots reactions to governmental failures in the civic domain.

This is not an attack on cars or roads; it is an attack on the primacy of cars and roads in governmental decisions. It is an attack on failures in planning and the ongoing failure to address those failures. It is the community fighting back against an attack on its health. It is a demand for this government to take responsibility for air quality in this state and to start monitoring and filtering all its exhaust stacks.

We should be more than angry that we have a state government that is perfectly willing to spend half a billion of our dollars to bail itself out of Metro Mess but does not even consider monitoring the output of their tunnel stacks into a residential, business and school community. The money spent on the failed Metro plan could have paind for filtration of all stacks across NSW!

Not only is the stack a blight on health, the land surrounding it is a blight on the community. As such, we are asking the RTA to return these lands to the public domain and plant, or allow the planting of trees and/or gardens on them.

RALLY: Sunday MAY 23rd, 3:30pm Corner Stanley and Bourke Streets


back to top
The Stack in question is located near the corner of Stanley Street and Bourke Street, East Sydney.
Marked with black circle above.

_

- publicly report on the emissions from the East Sydney emissions stack and portal

back to top
============================================================

QUESTIONS ON NOTICE - MINISTER FOR ROADS - 4th May 2010

EASTERN DISTRIBUTOR EMISSIONS STACK AND PORTAL

1) Is there any emissions monitoring or filtering being undertaken at the Eastern Distributor ventilation stack and portal in Stanley St., East Sydney?
2) If not why not?
3) Has there ever been any monitoring or filtering of the Eastern Distributor stack?
4) If not why not?
5) Has either the RTA or Department of Environment and Climate Change been approached by members of the community, local community groups and City of Sydney Council to monitor or filter the ventilation stack?
6) If so what advice was given to them?
7) Has the RTA been approached by local community groups wishing to install a community garden on the land surrounding the stack bordered by Stanley St in the south and Wisdom Lane?
8) If so what was the RTA response?
9) If it was refusal what were the reasons?
10) Are there plans to sell off the land surrounding the emissions stack north of Stanley St?
11) In the Vision for Bourke St: Urban Design Strategy 2007 land in the Stanley Park Precinct between Stanley St and O’Brien’s Lane has been identified for rezoning. Has this happened?
12) The Vision also identifies a new park to be created between the corner of Stanley St and O’Brien’s Lane. What measures have been taken to bring about the creation of this park?