Botany Bay mayor Ben Keneally says second Sydney airport in the west wouldn't be so bad BEN Keneally has a message for residents living in Sydney's west who are rallying against a second airport - "it's not so bad." Mr Keneally, the mayor of the City of Botany Bay, has called for Sydney to plan for its second airport. He has told western Sydney councils that while living so close to Sydney Airport may have been regarded as a "negative" three decades ago the attitude had changed to one of good jobs and easy commuting. "About 30 years ago people saw it as a negative, but now they see it as a positive to live so close to the airport," Mr Keneally said. Cheap flights and a rise in families travelling meant people were happier now to live so close despite the noise. He called for a decision to be made on Badgerys Creek so that Sydney's south and southeast doesn't get stuck with an airport explosion. Mr Keneally said his council had learned to plan, design out the worst of the noise, and accept it during the day but would hate to see the curfew lifted if the airport was forced to expand because Sydney failed to plan for a second airport. Families living in the immediate surrounds of Sydney Airport are prepared to put up with aircraft noise but only until the existing 11pm curfew. "They would not want to see that curfew change," he said. "I want to see a genuine consultation and preparation for a second airport," he said. Personally I can not see why it's not Badgerys Creek. The site has been zoned, it's close to the people, it will mean jobs, it will mean convenience for both businesses and holiday makers. Mr Keneally said councils could use clever design and town planning could banish the worst impacts of airport noise. He said his council had been able to block out the worst of the noise inside homes with double glazing, air-conditioning and better design controls. "There are areas we do not approve dwellings," he said. When you talk about the average plane getting quieter, you still notice the loud ones. You have to design for the worst planes, for the noisiest planes - not the average plane. It comes as pressure to build a second airport at Badgerys Creek mounts, with the Reserve Bank board warning that Sydney needs a second airport sooner than later to support economic diversity as the mining boom fades. While the Western Sydney Region of Councils has opposed Badgerys Creek because the area doesn't have the supporting infrastructure to get passengers to the city, it could have a new policy direction by February. "The newly elected board will be considering the issue at the meeting next month," a WSROC spokeswoman said