Tara Murray
Community groups feel like they’ve been left in the dark as the plans for the third runway at Melbourne Airport are released.
Plans for the draft airport master plan and draft Major Development Plan have gone live today with community consultation beginning this week.
Community consultation will run for a number of weeks.
The plans confirmed that the third runway would run north-south, something that will leave many residents with more noise pollution effects than ever before.
Members from the Melbourne Airport Community Action Group told the media on Monday that they feel and residents have no standing and had been left out of the process until this stage.
“We haven’t seen anything about the draft master plan or the major development plan,” the group’s Hannah Robertson said.
“We do want to make it clear we aren’t anti-aviation and recognise the many social and economic benefits.
“But we simply want to see a responsible aviation sector that doesn’t externalize the costs of airport safeguarding onto the community.”
Ms Robertson said the group had been left in the dark about the plans and called for a broader vision from the government into all modes of transport.
She admits that if the new runway does go ahead, that she, like many others, will consider moving away.
“Before COVID, most days for blocks of four to five hours every morning and evening, it was constant by the time one aircraft started to fade the next one started.
“Double the number of communities north and south of the airport will experience what we are already experiencing, before this lockdown happened.
“It’s like having lawn mowers going off around the community constantly all day.”
Frank Rivoli, who is part of the Hume Residents Airport Action Group, said the residents don’t feel like they have a lot of time to read the documents and form a view.
“Community residents have not been welcomed, we are an online process. Minimised in the process.
“The project costs millions, you have to have proper consultation. Even today … We weren’t advised that it would be released today.
“We’re not taken seriously. We all have livelihoods.”
Details: www.melbourneairport.com.au/runway
