Only about 100 properties will be eligible for free insulation to dull the noise of 480 weekly flights out of Western Sydney Airport under a preliminary plan.
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The federal government on Tuesday released the draft environmental impact statement for Sydney's second international airport, including mitigation measures for sound.
It says between 7,000 and 12,000 residents will experience five or more aircraft noises a day as loud as a washing machine once the airport reaches capacity.
That level of noise is enough to interrupt indoor conversations if windows are open.
Depending on the direction of travel, up to 84,500 people could be exposed to two events as loud as a conversation each night.
But the report estimates that fewer than 100 homes and other premises fall in the zone eligible to receive free insulation to abate noise.
Insulation measures include installing thicker windows, sealing gaps, improving roof insulation and solidifying external doors.
No properties will have to be acquired for being inside a noisier zone adjacent to the airport, although nearby residents can apply for consideration.
Transport Minister Catherine King said the number of affected homes that could receive insulation and any possible acquisitions would be decided after submissions were received.
"Obviously, they will be closest to the airport, to the runways themselves, where arrivals and where take-offs and landings are occurring," she said.
Ms King said some existing farms and properties in the area would likely be impacted.
"It's a pretty quiet area, it's largely been farming land for a long period of time," she said.
While the number of those eligible appears low, the draft report says as few as five properties would have been eligible if the criteria used for Sydney Airport was applied.
The report also reflected lower residential density and planning over many years in anticipation of the airport's construction.
The single-runway facility will be the first airport in NSW to operate with no curfew, allowing flights to take off and land at all hours to cater for up to 10 million passengers per year at the time of its opening in 2026.
Public feedback would be considered when finalising the final flight path designs, but the airport would bring lasting benefits, Ms King said.
"This is an incredible economic opportunity for western Sydney ... we're going to see lots of jobs," she said.
Federal Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh, whose electorate covers many of the suburbs falling under the airport flight paths, said she hoped western Sydney residents would get access to suitable noise-mitigation measures.
Areas that fall directly under the flight paths include the suburbs of Luddenham, Wallacia, Greendale and Kemps Creek.
Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger said the draft flight paths struck the right balance between limiting the impacts of noise while allowing the airport to deliver economic benefits.
The proposed flight paths, along with estimated aircraft noise impacts, are available to view through an online tool.
Australian Associated Press
