President Shaving Off for Leukaemia Research

Michael Stove is taking part in the World's Greatest Shave 2012.  So far he has raised over $600, but his target is $2,012.  Please help, you can donate at this web site:

You can use your credit card and sponsor me online at :  http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/michaelstove

Why is he doing this?

 - Blood cancer research is expensive but vital. The money you give will help the Leukaemia Foundation fund important research into leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders.

- Every 46 minutes someone in Australia gets the news they have blood cancer. The money you give will also support them from diagnosis, during their treatment and beyond.

All the Leukaemia Foundation's services are free.  Let's keep them that way.

NSW Planning System Review

On 9 February 2012, Tim Moore and Ron Dyer, the co-chairs of the NSW Planning System Review announced that they had agreed to a request from the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the Hon Brad Hazzard, for an extension of two weeks to the closing date for submissions on the Review’s issues paper, The Way Forward for Planning in NSW? The extension followed requests from a number of key stakeholders.
The new closing date for submissions is Friday 2 March 2012.
Go to the Issues Paper page on the Planning System Review website http://planningreview.nsw.gov.au/IssuesPaper to view or download a copy of the Issues Paper

Rail Freight Corridor

A $1 billion rail freight corridor upgrade between North Strathfield and Newcastle would add to the number of freight trains operating on the Northern Line each day.
The upgrade, to be completed by 2016, was announced by Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese at a news conference with Premier Barry O’Farrell this morning.
The project would also lift the corridor’s capacity by 50 per cent, from 29 to 44 freight trains a day.
The upgrade was designed to increase freight train movements, reduce carbon emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes a year and take 200,000 trucks a year off the state’s roads.
“Sydney is the biggest bottleneck on the main line between Melbourne and Brisbane,” federal Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said.  The Federal Government would spend $840 million on the project with the NSW Government contributing $214 million.

More information is coming available:

• The third track through our area will allow passenger trains going north towards Hornsby to pass freight trains climbing slowly up the hill in that direction. 
• Construction will start March 2012 and complete in June 2016.

Initial assessment of the effects on Beecroft and Cheltenham suggest that main area of contentions for our community will be: 

·         The loss of the west side Cheltenham Rail car park, resulting in increased street parking

·         Widening of the Cheltenham Rd Bridge

·         Increased noise impact on residential dwelling

·         Need for sound attenuation on the locomotives hauling these long freight trains

·         Added pollution from poorly maintained diesel locomotive engines

·         Additional impact on the Beecroft CBD from some of the above and loss on the parkland, the children’s playground adjacent to the railway station and most likely part of the adjacent car park.

·         Widening of the Chapman Ave and other bridges.

Cables DownUnder

The chairman of a national lobby group has told a Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network (NBN) laying cables underground may increase reliability and decrease health risks. Peter Downey, the chairman of Sydney Cables Downunder said by laying fiber optic cables underground instead of hanging them overhead would reduce the likeliness of the destruction of communication wires by bushfires and address occupational health issues.

Downey pointed towards massive underground communication networks that are expanding and operating successfully overseas and suggested that Australia should follow their example.

He said reliability shouldn’t be compromised with cheaper solutions because underground cables would increase both efficiency and reduce offset costs such as cutting down trees to build new power poles.