community, Camden, Advertiser, Oran, Park, Harrington, Grove, Estates, Greenfields

Oran Park developers, Greenfields Development Corporation, have announced if a rail line to Narellan is not underground it should not be built at all. The developers made the announcement last week, stating a carefully planned tunnel from Oran Park, under Harrington Grove and emerging on the Narellan side of The Northern Road was the only option they would support. A state government-proposed 60-metre-wide rail corridor connecting Narellan to the south west rail link sees homes and businesses in Narellan Oran Park, Harrington Grove and Harrington Park in the path of the rail extension. Greenfields general manager Mick Owens said the state government would have to meet certain criteria to ensure the tunnel option was plausible. “We’re generally supportive of the rail line, but we don’t agree with the surface option at all because it would have so much impact,” he said. “If the state is determined to get to Narellan the only way would be underground.” Mr Owens said the tunnel would need to be sufficiently deep to ensure the residents above were not affected by vibrations or noise. “If it doesn’t satisfy those conditions we are going to suggest it stops at Oran Park or they don’t have the rail line at all this way.” Harrington Estates managing director Terry Goldacre announced recently the company’s preferred option would see the rail line stop at Oran Park, and only run underground to Narellan when the government decided to complete the loop to the existing Macarthur station. “We’ve got some residents in the Wildfire estate [in Harrington Grove] who are very concerned and very opposed to the alignment and still don’t know what to do,” he said. Mr Goldacre said Harrington Estates had employed consultants to investigate whether Oran Park could work as a public transport rail and road interchange. However David Taylor, property general manager for Narellan Town Centre developer Dart West Developments, said the company was still keen to see the rail come to Narellan. Under the government’s proposal there would be a train station very close to the expanding town centre. “The bigger picture is we are getting transport to south west Sydney and it’s up to the government to work through the issues with the affected residents,” he said. Transport Minister Andrew Constance did not respond to a request for comment on the developers’ position on the proposed rail alignment.

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