Blue Mountains residents will soon be able to view preliminary flight paths for the planned Western Sydney Airport.
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An online tool will be released in June that allows residents to check the likely aircraft noise impacts on their homes.
Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman said people will not only see flight paths from the 24-hour airport, but will have access to the noise tool with information about how their own homes will be impacted.
"This information will come out shortly, which will give us all time to consider it before the Draft Environmental Impact Statement comes out later in the year," she said.
Noise issues
The last publicly released flight paths in 2015 - which have since been ruled out - had a single merging point over Blaxland which Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill told the Gazette would have been "a disaster for the Lower Blue Mountains".
"We have a different soundscape. So the sound bounces off the valleys and the ravines in a different way to buildings and flatlands," he said.
"My honest view is that this will actually change the way all of us experience the Mountains... you're talking about an airport that not initially, but eventually will be the size of Dubai.
"It's going to be constant, 24/7, 365 days a year."
Peter Dollin, Treasurer for Residents against Western Sydney Airport (RAWSA), voiced similar fears.
"It's really good that there's something coming out [about the flight paths], but we really hope that this time around the process is dealt with properly. Because noise is probably the biggest issue of this airport," said Mr Dollin.
"We have a very low ambient noise factor... all noise will be perceived quite dramatically in the Blue Mountains."
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Sound insulation
A spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport said the department "is developing a noise insulation and property acquisition policy in relation to aircraft overflight noise for buildings outside the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport".
Mr Dollin said he doesn't expect any Mountains homes severely affected by aircraft noise to receive sound insulation from the government - or that homes are even suited for sound insulation.
"Our houses aren't really designed for that kind of living... We live in a non-urban environment, and a lot of people leave their windows open at night, leave the doors open. We're just not designed to be shut up inside... it's just not the way the Blue Mountains people live," he said.
Cr Greenhill said other concerns included the effect of noise on the ecosystem, a "bloody massive" heat island effect for Western Sydney, jobs, and potential loss of World Heritage listing status for the Blue Mountains.
"This isn't just a name, World Heritage listing taps us into key markets globally. If we were to lose World Heritage listing it would have a deleterious effect on the Blue Mountains economy, as well as that of the state of New South Wales," he said.
A change in government
Both Cr Greenhill and Mr Dollin praised the speedy communication on the airport from the new government.
Ms Templeman said: "There has been an appalling lack of information about the airport flight paths from the previous government, and I've worked hard with minister Catherine King to ensure that information we provide is as transparent and detailed as possible.
"The process that we have put in place is going to be completely different to what the previous government planned, with lots of information and time for people to absorb it before being asked to formally respond to the government."
But Mr Dollin believes Labor should be held accountable for a "no fly zone" commitment made in 2016 by former Labor leader Bill Shorten.
"I really want to put Labor on notice here that they... did come out and publicly say they would have a 'no fly zone' at night, and I think we need to hold them to account on that," he said.
Get updates on the status of the Overflight Aircraft Noise Tool through the Western Sydney Airport website at: https://www.westernsydneyairport.gov.au/flight-paths/. The planned page for the tool itself is: https://www.wsiflightpaths.gov.au/.
A Department of Infrastructure and Transport spokesperson said a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the preliminary flight paths will be released for public exhibition in the second half of this year.
The Western Sydney Airport is on track to begin operations in 2026.