The curfew-free status of Melbourne Airport is crucial to the western suburbs’ economy, advocacy group LeadWest claims.
The group commented after RMIT planning expert Professor Michael Buxton claimed last week that a curfew would be inevitable unless governments curbed housing developments in suburbs near the airport, including Diggers Rest.
Melbourne and Avalon airports are major employment and economic clusters in the west, employing hundreds of people around-the-clock, LeadWest chief executive Craig Rowley said.
And freight travelling through the airport is crucial for western suburbs-based employers who are exporting products that could end up on “tables in homes in China, Hong Kong and various other countries”.
Mr Rowley said he was confident that councils, such as Melton and Moonee Valley, had stringent planning guidelines in place to ensure developments didn’t encroach on the airport.
“There’s a whole lot of business that goes around; there’s a whole lot of jobs at the airport. And if the airport is operating around the clock, it’s providing jobs around the clock,” he said.
The airport is in a protected green wedge zone and protected by the Melbourne Airport Environs overlay, which restricts the type of developments allowed nearby.
Melton council’s planning and environment manager, Bob Baggio, a representative on the Melbourne Airport community aviation consultation group, said the curfew-free status was crucial.
“The Melton planning scheme imposes the Melbourne Airport Environs overlay,” he said.
“[This] identifies areas that are, or will be, subject to moderate to high levels of aircraft noise, and restricts use and development to what is appropriate to that level of exposure,” Mr Baggio said.
Residents can lodge complaints with Airservices Australia, which manages air traffic operations at Melbourne and Brisbane, and controls tower communications and operations elsewhere.
“If they’re unhappy with the way their complaint is handled, they can take it to the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman” Mr Rowley said.
“We’re mindful there could be operational issues that see the aircraft flying lower, affecting noise levels. But there are mechanisms for those people to lodge their claims. We think it’s really important that airports can operate 24 hours a day,” he said.
Ombudsman details: www.ano.gov.au
