The proposed bus depot in Vanessa Street, Kingsgrove, will return to Hurstville Council for determination on Wednesday, August 5.
Although recommended for approval by council planning staff, councillors deferred the matter on July 15 pending more information — and after listening to the objections of nearby residents who claimed the depot would worsen bad traffic conditions.
Residents believe that if the depot goes ahead, a viable infrastructure solution should be found with input from Roads and Maritime Services and Rockdale and Canterbury councils.
A ramp to the M5 or a tunnel could be possible solutions.
The matter has been recommended again for approval.
The applicant, Transdev, has agreed to the DA condition to only allow buses to travel along Kingsgrove Road to avoid residential areas to the west of the site; residents claim this will create problems elsewhere.
Transdev said the proposal would generate less than 20 per cent of traffic than the current site zoning allowed and that the depot would increase employment chances for local bus drivers and improve public transport in the Hurstville region.
The site at 115 Vanessa Street, Kingsgrove, zoned light industrial, is used as a private bus and truck depot.
From Transdev’s perspective.
■ Transdev is a leading public transport company in Australasia, delivering an annual 120 million passenger journeys. It brings global expertise and world-class experience from international operations in 20 countries in five continents.
■ Transdev has operated in Sydney since the 1930s and has regular, school and charter services to the upper north shore, south and south-western Sydney communities.
The company works in partnership with Transport for NSW which has approved the depot based on the contribution that it will make to the public transport network including being an overflow site for Transdev’s existing depots at Taren Point and Menai.
■ The project is being undertaken through a mix of private sector investment and funding support from the state government.
■ The depot will allow Transdev to operate within the region it services and ease traffic congestion by reducing the distance required to travel to begin and end services.
■ The site has sufficient space for the safe and efficient parking and servicing of Transdev’s fleet of buses and the surrounding road network is capable of supporting the proposed bus movements.
■ Notification of the proposal was not required as it is a change-of-use proposal in a light industrial zone. Public exhibition was required.
■ The development will include the reuse of the existing warehouse buildings into maintenance bays including three workshop bays, a body shop, chassis bay and wash bay, office space for two permanent staff, staff facilities including meal room, change room and lockers, an undercover refuelling station with a 60,000-litre capacity, self-bundled with recovery pit and warning alarms.
■ Transdev’s proposed hours of operations will be between 5am and 11.30pm.
Vehicles will exit into The Crescent and travel east to Kingsgrove Road.
The site is within an existing industrial precinct with the nearest residential properties separated by the airport railway line which acts as a barrier between the uses.
Potential noise generating activities, such as vehicle repair and body shop uses, will happen within the standard working hours of 7am and 7pm.
■ Each day there will be a total of 60 staggered bus movements with a peak of 14 movements between 5am and 6am. A maximum of 60 buses and 52 cars will operate from the depot. Staff arrivals and other bus movements will be staged outside of peak travel times.
■ There will be no on-street parking impact as the depot has sufficient space for safe staff and bus parking and bus queuing will not happen in Vanessa Street.
■ A dangerous goods compliance assessment considers the depot risk including the site of the fuel tanks would be as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). The necessary spill clean-up equipment will be stored on site.
■ Regarding WestConnex, the depot will not affect the construction or operation of the King Georges Road interchange because of a DA condition requiring bus movements via Kingsgrove Road only.
The new M5 stage is marked as being tunnelled under Kingsgrove Road and will not be affected by buses using this route.
■ Depot benefits to the community include enhanced public transport, reduced congestion and employment benefits.
Do you agree with Transdev?