East end residents living close to the Supercars track and facing noise levels expected to be above safety standards are leaving the area as the race weekend approaches.
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Several residents have told the Newcastle Herald that many of those people most affected by noise will leave or have already left.
They said Supercars should help those residents pay for alternative accommodation and ensure their properties were protected while they were away.
Read more: Newcastle Supercars 2017: The complete guide
A Supercars noise management plan identified 31 houses which may experience internal levels between 1dB and 4dB above those deemed acceptable under workplace safety standards.
Mitigation measures being implemented include two-metre-high curtains to reduce sound and ear plugs for residents.
The plan also suggests people could move to the back of their houses or leave during some of the peak noise period. Many appear to be choosing the latter.
“I think it’s probably worse than the simulation says,” a resident who has already moved out with his wife and son said.
“I’ve left because I believe it’s a risk. It’s the health risk, but also the mental risk of being shut into barriers. That’s a traumatic experience.
“You’re going to have people fired up on Saturday night. I’m really concerned about the security of the resident zone.
“We have been forced out for health reasons, and I think they’ve got a real responsibility to ensure our places are looked after.”
He said his family had been forced to find alternative accommodation and were commuting to the inner-city for work and school.
It was unfair that some people were having to take annual leave or flex days to avoid the race.
“If there was compensation, it wouldn’t be sufficient for the disruption, but they have to recognise that it’s a cost,” the resident said.
It is understood Supercars has paid to find alternative housing for several families with small babies and another facing health problems.
Supercars boss James Warburton said in September that the noise management plan was the first his organisation had conducted for a race in Australia and went “above and beyond what we’re required to do”.
The safe noise level in the plan, decided after consultation with government agencies and NSW Work Health Safety legislation, was deemed to be 84 decibels over a 10-hour period.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Supercars
