Stronger measures and community benefits for Brimbank as part of the third runway

Following years of strong advocacy, Brimbank City Council is pleased to confirm it has secured important outcomes which address some of the concerns raised by community in relation to the planned third runway at Melbourne Airport.

The Federal Government’s conditional approval of the third runway includes a number of significant measures which address many of the concerns raised by Council and the Brimbank community.

Council requested a review of some conditions in the Federal Government’s conditional approval. The process concluded with Council and Melbourne Airport reaching an agreement that will help strengthen Council’s ability to deliver improved community outcomes.

Council worked hard to secure measures which are designed to meaningfully reduce the impact of aircraft noise on the community. This requires Melbourne Airport to deliver:

• Fairer noise sharing: Aircraft noise can be spread across all three runways, including the East–West runway, to provide some respite to impacted communities.
• Noise amelioration: A 12-year Airport-funded program to reduce aircraft noise impacts in homes, schools and community buildings
• Long-term health monitoring: A world-first, 20-year, independent community health study, with annual public reporting, to track the impacts of aircraft noise before and after the third runway begins operating.

Brimbank Mayor Cr Virginia Tachos said it comes after years of advocacy on behalf of residents and the community.

“We’re pleased we have secured important measures to address concerns about the third runway’s potential health and noise impacts.

“We know the third runway will bring opportunities for our city and our state. Our priority has always been advocating for our community’s health and wellbeing and ensuring their concerns were fully heard.

“We’re pleased the Federal Government included a range of requirements in its conditional approval for the third runway, which are concrete steps we advocated for – including noise sharing between runways, upgrading buildings, improving noise mitigation and an independent 20-year community health study.

“Our agreement with Melbourne Airport will help strengthen our ability to deliver improved outcomes for Brimbank’s community.

“These are meaningful wins for our community. We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and if new concerns arise about the runway, we will advocate on behalf of our community – just as we always have.”