A proposal has been put forward for the expansion of Sydney Airport in Australia to the south of its current site and into Botany Bay.
The proposal calls for a fourth and fifth runway to be built across the water from the current site, with road, rail and aircraft taxiway links connecting the site by bridges and tunnels.
New South Wales Treasurer Mike Baird has given the scheme his backing, over alternative options of building a new airport, or expanding Canberra Airport and linking it to Sydney Airport via high speed trains.
Environmentalists have shown concern over the plans in the water environment, and neighbours fear the extra noise and pollution from the inevitable growth in air traffic – something which is currently limited at Sydney Airport.
The plans for the expanded site also include freight and passenger terminals to be built alongside the new parallel runways, but may also see the closure of one of the existing three runways.
What do you think? Does Sydney need an expansion like this?
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