Moorabbin Airport safety

What our community wants	Improved safety standards and development controls at Moorabbin Airport
Who can take action	Australian Government
Category	Infrastructure

Kingston is home to the Moorabbin Airport – one of the busiest airports in Australia for aircraft movements. Council is keen to see safety standards enhanced to protect the significant residential areas right on the airport’s doorstep.

Council and the community fear that the proposed draft Master Plan for the Moorabbin Airport site includes too much non-aviation development that: imposes on neighbouring homes, could compromise safety, and undermines the site’s prime purpose as a centre for aviation.

Kingston Council has flagged these issues directly with the Federal Government and lodged a submission objecting to key elements of the Moorabbin Airport Preliminary Draft 2021 Master Plan.

Under the draft Master Plan, which is advertised for public comment until October 2021, large areas of airport land once used for aviation purposes, have been identified for large industrial/ commercial uses not related to the aviation industry.

Moorabbin Airport, located in Melbourne’s south-east just 25km from the CBD, is Australia’s second busiest airport averaging 295,000 movements per year.

Mayor Steve Staikos has called on Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, The Hon Barnaby Joyce to reject the Master Plan until more space is set aside to future proof existing and future aviation activities; buffer zones are added between warehouses/industrial buildings and neighbouring homes; and all references to the airport being located inside the Urban Growth Boundary are corrected.

“Development at Moorabbin Airport should be aviation related and not come at the expense of neighbouring residents or if it puts aviation safety at risk. Buildings should be located away from homes and should leave plenty of open space for emergency landings,” Cr Staikos said.

Chicquita Ward Councillor Tracey Davies said the Moorabbin Airport Corporation (MAC) needs to go back to the drawing board. “The MAC needs to listen to the aviation tenants, and to their neighbours in the streets surrounding the airport, and make the changes we have outlined in Council’s submission. The Airport needs to scrap the plans for even more large big-box development, respect the amenity of neighbouring residents, and provide adequate space for aviation activities at Moorabbin Airport,” Cr Davies said.

Concerns raised in Council’s submission include:

• Insufficient land set aside for the Airport’s core aviation role and non-aviation uses prioritised over aviation support services.
• Unconstrained retail, industrial and commercial development on the Airport land poses a risk to other Activity Centres across Kingston.
• Location of proposed industrial and warehouse buildings along sensitive interfaces – including neighbouring established homes - with no urban design guidance or performance measures to manage the amenity impact on adjoining residents.
• The loss of green open spaces and the extent to which this exacerbates existing urban heat island issues associated with the airport.
• Airport safety, noise and the extent of development proposed immediately adjacent existing runways generates issues for pilots associated with windshear.
• The suggestion that the Moorabbin Airport could appropriately be located within the Urban Growth Boundary and the extent to which this proposal contradicts State Planning Policy.