By Tate Papworth
Melbourne Airport’s community engagement workshops haven’t struck a chord with residents of Keilor.
The Airport has kicked off its suburban tour of communities affected by its decision to review the alignment of the proposed third runway.
The airport had long planned to build a third runway with an east-west alignment, however it decided to review that decision after recent data revealed a north-south option may be better. The concept behind the workshops was to allow residents to speak with airport staff and air their concerns.
However Keilor Residents and Ratepayers Association spokesperson Susan Jennison said the workshops failed to hit the mark.
“People are furious. I’ve had a huge portion of people who attended those workshops contact me since,” she said.
“People felt like they couldn’t ask questions and that this was all a fate accompli.”
Following a briefing as to why the review is taking place, residents were split into small groups and given time to ask questions of airport staff.
Ms Jennison said it did little to quell concerns. “We were given a form where we could put down our concerns, then we had to put a numbered circle on a map.
“Being asked to put a sticker on a map isn’t really going to leave people feeling like their concerns have been heard, is it?”
The Keilor Residents and Ratepayers Association met days after the Keilor workshop to discuss its next strategy.
A public meeting is expected to be planned.
Meanwhile, the airport will continue with its planned workshops, which will run in a number of different suburbs up until early August. It hopes to inform the community on a decision by Christmas and says the earliest possible date a third runway could be open is 2025.
