Section 5 - Airport Land Use Plan - Melbourne Airport

5DRAFTAIRPORT LANDUSE PLAN5.1 Overview and Objectives 615.2 Regional Context 615.3 Land Use Strategy 625.4 Land Use Precincts 625.5 Planning Zones 655.6 Overlays 685.7 Particular Provisions 685.8 Sensitive Developments 685.9 Consistency with Planning Schemes under State Law 695.10 Pre-Existing Interests 705.11 Development Approval Process 7060

5. Airport Land Use PlanAirport Land Use Plan :: 55.1 Overview and ObjectivesPlanning requirements for the Melbourne Airport siteare administered under the Airports Act. State planninglaws do not apply to the site. However, regulations madeunder the Airports Act require the Master Plan to, wherepossible, describe proposals for land use planning andzoning (in relation to the landside part of the airport) in amanner consistent with that used by the state or territoryin which the airport is located.As required under Section 71 of the Airports Act, thissection, together with Appendix B, demonstrates howthe land use plan is consistent with planning schemes inforce under Victorian law. It has considered the VictorianState Planning Policy Framework and has used zones,overlays and other planning provisions derived from theVictoria Planning Provisions.The Melbourne Airport site currently comprises 2,367hectares of leasehold land and 90 hectares of freeholdland. Aside from the airfield and terminals, the landaccommodates a range of industrial, business andcommercial activities, all of which are projected togrow. Melbourne Airport’s land use plan for the siteis aligned with the Melbourne Airport Strategy 1990(and associated EIS) and previous Master Plans, andfacilitates the land use concepts outlined in Section 1.9and the development objectives outlined in Section 4.4.This section details the land use planning framework forthe site’s development and proposed future use. Theframework designates precincts and identifies the landuses that are permitted or which require consent withineach precinct. It also sets out planning requirements fordevelopment (buildings and works) on the site. The landuse plan adopts an integrated planning approach and isflexible enough to respond to market opportunities andbusiness expectations.The objectives of the land use plan are to:• facilitate land use and development in accordancewith the Melbourne Airport Master Plan 2013• advance Melbourne Airport as one of the state’s keyactivity centres• provide for the airport’s long-term growth requirements• support a range of uses, including complementarybusiness and shopping activities, employment,travellers’ accommodation, leisure, transport andcommunity facilities• support sustainable urban outcomes that optimisethe use of infrastructure• create an attractive, pleasant, safe, secure andstimulating environment through good urban design• support good environmental practice to minimise theimpact on the environment and protect environmentallysensitive heritage areas.DRAFT5.2 Regional ContextMelbourne Airport is one of Victoria’s most strategicallyimportant sites and a critical piece of transport infrastructure.The airport is located 22 kilometres from the centralbusiness district and is well situated to major transportlinks. The surrounding suburbs are easily accessiblevia the Tullamarine Freeway and the M80 Ring Road,providing direct access to the Hume, Calder, Westernand Princes Freeways. These links also provide accessto regional areas and the Port of Melbourne and the Portof Geelong. Melbourne Airport is also located on thePrincipal Public Transport Network.Melbourne Airport is predominantly surrounded bynon-urban or green wedge land, particularly to thenorth and west, which helps protect the communityand safeguard the airport and its flight paths from theencroachment of incompatible activities. However, thereis urban development located to the east and south of theairport, comprising a mix of industrial and residentialdevelopment.MELBOURNE Airport Master plan 2013 – PRELIMINARY DRAFT : : 61

5.4.2 Airport Expansion PrecinctThis precinct adjoins the Airside Operations Precinctand largely comprises vacant land that is likely to berequired for future airport operations. This precinctincludes land that will be required in the future forthe airport’s third and fourth runways. It also includessections of the Tullamarine Freeway and Sunbury Road,as well as environmental areas that extend around theprecinct perimeter including land adjacent to Deep Creekand the Maribyrnong River, which forms the westernboundary of the precinct, and Moonee Ponds Creek,which forms the north-east boundary.Included in this precinct is the Grey Box Woodland andArundel Creek, which runs through the precinct fromnorth to south. The Airservices facilities in OperationsRoad are also located here, including the control tower.Some parcels of land in this precinct, on the west sideof McNabs Road, are still privately owned and aresubject to future acquisition. Melbourne Airport willensure sufficient land is available for it to achieve itsexpansion requirements as outlined in the MelbourneAirport Strategy 1990, previously approved MasterPlans and this Master Plan.The role of the Airport Expansion Precinct is to:• provide for the airport’s future expansion, includingadditional future runways and taxiways and possiblefuture terminal or aviation support facilities• support the ongoing operation and growth of aviationrelatedorganisations, including Airservices servicesand facilities (the control tower, air traffic control andHot Fire Training Ground)• conserve environmentally significant land where suchland is not required for future airport operations.The precinct has been identified for future expansion,which will include additional runways, taxiways andassociated aviation support infrastructure. The precinctwill not be used or developed for any purpose that mayprejudice or conflict with its objectives, or that mayinterfere or conflict with safe and secure airport andaircraft operations in the Airside Operations Precinctor Airport Expansion Precinct.The existing Tullamarine Freeway and Sunbury Roadroad reserve will be maintained to allow for the safe,secure and long-term functionality of this corridor and thepotential future connection between Melbourne Airportand the Outer Metropolitan Ring Transport Corridor.5.4.3 Terminals PrecinctThis precinct is the site of the T1, T2, T3 and T4 passengerterminals and contains land required to expand thepassenger terminals in the future. With the exceptionof T4, the existing terminals are integrated under oneroof in a multi-level building combining domestic andinternational terminal facilities and commercial activitiessuch as restaurants and shops.This precinct excludes the related landside facilities, suchas car parks, which are included in the Landside MainPrecinct. The main terminal forecourt is also in theLandside Main Precinct.The role of the Terminals Precinct is to:• provide for the operation, use and development of landfor passenger and baggage processing, enabling theterminal facilities to operate safely, securely, efficientlyand cost-effectively• provide world-class facilities for airlines and passengers,including efficient terminal facilities with adequatelylocated and sized commercial areas• provide an integrated terminals facility with amplecommercial and retail uses• provide for the flexible expansion of passengerterminal facilities to meet forecast demand.DRAFTThe precinct’s future use and development will focus onenhancing and expanding the terminal complexes, so itcan continue to provide essential passenger services.The Terminals Precinct will not be used or developedfor any purpose that may interfere or conflict with safeand secure airport and aircraft operations in the AirsideOperations Precinct or Airport Expansion Precinct.5.4.4 Landside Main PrecinctThis precinct adjoins the eastern boundary of the Airsideand Terminals Precincts. Its primary purpose is to provideservices and facilities relating to these adjoining precincts,including freight, ground transport and car rental facilities,hotels and offices. The precinct accommodates theexisting Joint User Hydrant Installation (JUHI) facility andhas excellent connections to the terminals and aircraftrelatedareas. The airport’s main entry and exit roads runthrough this precinct, including the Tullamarine Freeway,Terminal Drive and Melrose Drive.64

Airport Land Use Plan :: 5The role of the Landside Main Precinct is to:• provide a range of airport support activities, servicesand facilities for use by airlines, passengers, governmentagencies, freight businesses and transport providers• provide integrated car parking, hotel accommodation,commercial and retail uses that support the airport• provide an attractive and functional gateway tothe airport• provide ground transport facilities and servicesfor efficient access to the airport• provide for future expansion of passenger terminalfacilities to meet forecast demand.The precinct’s future use and development will focus onmaking the most of its prime location, including enhancingpassenger drop-off/pick-up facilities, freight transport, carparking, hotel accommodation, offices, commercial usesand retail premises.The precinct must provide for safe, secure and efficientground transport access and a high level of visual amenity.It will not be used or developed for any purpose thatmay interfere or conflict with safe and secure airportand aircraft operations.The existing Tullamarine Freeway and Sunbury Road roadreserve will be maintained to allow for the safe, secureand long-term functionality of this corridor and thepotential future connection between Melbourne Airportand the Outer Metropolitan Ring Transport Corridor.5.4.5 Landside Business PrecinctThis precinct is situated to the south of the Airside andLandside Main Precincts. It extends from the TullamarineFreeway and Mercer Drive in the north to AnnandaleRoad and Sharps Road in the south. Given its location,this precinct lends itself to a mix of uses, including themajority of non-aviation activities. The Melbourne AirportBusiness Park and Melbourne Airport Cargo Estate aresituated here.The role of the Landside Business Precinct is to:• provide land for a range of aviation and non-aviation uses• provide a range of aviation-related services, includingaircraft maintenance and servicing and freight andcargo terminals• provide for a range of non-aviation uses, includingindustrial, commercial, retail, office, recreational,manufacturing, warehousing and associated activities.The Landside Business Precinct’s future use anddevelopment will remain focused on mixed-use purposes,and will provide for safe and efficient ground transportaccess and a high level of visual amenity. Its proximity toresidential areas requires careful consideration, particularlyin regard to the provisions of the Airports Act aboutcommunity impact. This precinct will not be used ordeveloped for any purpose that may interfere or conflictwith safe and secure airport and aircraft operationsin the Airside Precinct or Airport Expansion Precinct.5.5 Planning ZonesRegulation 5.02(2) of the Airports Regulations 1997 states:For Section 71 of the Act, an airport Master Plan must,in relation to the landside part of the airport, wherepossible, describe proposals for land use and relatedplanning, zoning or development in an amount of detailequivalent to that required by, and using terminology(including definitions) consistent with that applyingin, land use planning, zoning and developmentlegislation in force in the State or Territory inwhich the airport is located.DRAFTIn the 2008 Master Plan, several different planning zoneswere used based on the Victoria Planning Provisions,including the Business 2 Zone and Business 3 Zone.At the time this Master Plan was prepared, the VictorianGovernment was reforming Victoria’s planning zones,including defining a new suite of business zones.Furthermore, since the release of the last Master Plan,the State Government has introduced a new zonespecifically for activity centres (including SpecialisedActivity Centres) called the Activity Centre Zone. Giventhese facts, and after considering a number of zoningoptions, Melbourne Airport has chosen a variation of theActivity Centre Zone as the primary zone to apply to theairport site. The provisions of this zone are discussedin Section 5.5.1.The planning zones are depicted in Figure 5.2. Thisplan identifies land within the Commonwealth-leasedboundaries of Melbourne Airport, freehold land holdingsowned by the airport and privately owned land that will berequired for airport development in the future. However,as was the case in the 2008 Master Plan, the zoning planin this Master Plan reflects the ultimate plan, and assumesthat all of the subject land will eventually be administeredunder the Commonwealth lease. In the interim, the planningprovisions applying to land holdings beyond the currentCommonwealth-leased boundaries are those specifiedby the Hume Planning Scheme.MELBOURNE Airport Master plan 2013 – PRELIMINARY DRAFT : : 65

Fig. 5.2DRAFT66

Airport Land Use Plan :: 5Some land required for the airport’s future developmentlocated west of McNabs Road (north of Barbiston Road)is currently privately owned. Until it has been acquired forairport use, it is subject to planning controls under theHume Planning Scheme, including the Green WedgeZone. The Secretary of the Victorian Department ofTransport, Planning and Local Infrastructure is also areferral authority for applications made within this zone.In addition, Melbourne Airport must be notified of planningpermit applications for this area as the land is subject tothe Melbourne Airport Environs Overlay. The land is shownon the Melbourne Airport – Future Runway DevelopmentPlan (May 2007), which is incorporated in the HumePlanning Scheme. Melbourne Airport is continuing towork with Commonwealth, State and local governmentsto ensure appropriate planning mechanisms are in placefor this land, to provide for the airport’s future expansion.5.5.1 Activity Centre ZoneThe Activity Centre Zone was introduced into the VictoriaPlanning Provisions (VPPs) in 2009, and was notavailable for consideration when the 2008 Master Planwas prepared. It was designed to apply to Central ActivityDistricts (such as Melbourne city centre), Principal ActivityCentres (such as Broadmeadows), Major Activity Centres(such as Craigieburn Town Centre) and SpecialisedActivity Centres (such as Melbourne Airport). The StateGovernment introduced the zone to facilitate and simplifydevelopment in activity centres. The zone is intended toact as a ‘one-stop shop’, and can regulate matters suchas heritage and parking.The Activity Centre Zone requires a structure plan to bein place. As noted in the 2008 Master Plan, the MasterPlan is essentially a structure plan for the MelbourneAirport Specialised Activity Centre, having consideredthe social, economic and environmental criteria for activitycentres outlined in the Melbourne 2030 strategy.The generic purposes of the Activity Centre Zone aspresented in the VPPs are to:• encourage a mixture of uses and the intensivedevelopment of the activity centre:– as a focus for business, shopping, working,housing, leisure, transport and community facilities– to support sustainable urban outcomes thatmaximise the infrastructure and public transport use• deliver a diversity of housing at higher densities tomake optimum use of the facilities and services. (Thispurpose is not appropriate for Melbourne Airport as nohousing would be permissible within its boundaries)• create through good urban design an attractive,pleasant, walkable, safe and stimulating environment• facilitate land use and development in accordance withthe Development Framework for the activity centre.Relevant directions from the Department of Transport,Planning and Local Infrastructure’s Activity Centre Zonepractice note are as follows:• The Activity Centre Zone implements the strategicdirections of a structure plan and dispenses with theneed to apply multiple zones.• The Activity Centre Zone should be applied to all landwithin an activity centre, although public zones suchas Road Zones should be retained.• To assist in implementing a structure plan, the activitycentre is usually divided into precincts.• The inclusion of a statement of the activity centre landuse and development objectives is required. The zonecan contain centre-wide provisions and specificprecinct provisions.• The Activity Centre Zone outlines standard informationthat must be provided as part of an application.• Parking studies can be used to justify alternative ratesof parking for the activity centre, although Clause52.06 (Car Parking) of the Planning Scheme shouldcontinue to be used to address parking.DRAFTGiven the above, the Activity Centre Zone was selectedas the most applicable zone to apply to MelbourneAirport (excluding the Tullamarine Freeway and SunburyRoad) because:• it is a standard zone in the Victoria Planning Provisionsspecifically designed for activity centres, includingSpecialised Activity Centres• it is designed to simplify activity centre planning, tobe facilitative and flexible, and to provide a one-stopshop encompassing almost all planning approvalaspects and its use provides clear and consolidatedplanning controls• it provides for centre-wide and precinct provisionsto be included, which allows distinctions to be madebetween airside and landside precincts (consistentwith the precincts’ descriptions outlined in Section5.4), while also including objectives and controls thatapply to the entire airport site• this Master Plan contains the details needed to beconsidered as a Structure Plan/Framework Plan,and as such can form the basis of the zone.While the Activity Centre Zone has been adopted for theairport site, some changes to the zone’s standard provisionswere required, mainly to ensure consistency with theprovisions of the Airports Act. For example, the genericpurpose statement relating to housing has been removed.MELBOURNE Airport Master plan 2013 – PRELIMINARY DRAFT : : 67

The Activity Centre Zone provisions are included inAppendix B. The precinct requirements contained inthe zone provisions are based on the land use precinctsoutlined in Section 5.4.5.5.2 Road ZoneApart from the Activity Centre Zone, the only other zoneshown on the Zoning Plan is Road Zone 1. This zoneapplies to the section of Sunbury Road and the TullamarineFreeway that traverses the airport boundary. Applying theRoad Zone to this land is consistent with the Departmentof Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure’s ActivityCentre Zone practice note.5.6 OverlaysIn accordance with the Victoria Planning Provisions,Melbourne Airport has applied overlays to target a singleissue or related set of issues. The overlays used are:• Environmental Significance Overlay• Heritage Overlay• Melbourne Airport Environs Overlay.The Environmental Significance Overlay and HeritageOverlays are shown in Figure 5.2. The Melbourne AirportEnvirons Overlay is shown in Figure 12.6.Each of the overlays has a strategic justification and islinked to the policies and development objectivesdescribed in this Master Plan. The requirements andrestrictions of each overlay are similar to those in theVictoria Planning Provisions.The Environmental Significance Overlay applies to landalong Deep Creek, the Maribyrnong River, Moonee PondsCreek, the Golf Course and the Grey Box Woodland. Itensures that development in these areas considers thenatural environment and flora and fauna habitats. Thisoverlay reflects the Victoria Planning Provisions, identifyingareas where land development may be affected byenvironmental constraints. It does not reflect the definitionof environmental significance under the Airports Act.The Heritage Overlay applies to areas recognisedas having heritage significance as identified in theVictorian Heritage Register. These sites include theformer St Mary’s Church, the Grey Box Woodland andthe Keilor Archaeological Site.The Melbourne Airport Environs Overlay is discussedin Section 12.2.2.5.7 Particular ProvisionsWhere applicable, the Particular Provisions containedin the Victoria Planning Provisions are considered in allairport development proposals. These provisions, whichcontain requirements for matters such as car parking,signage, and vehicle loading and unloading, have alsobeen considered when developing the Melbourne AirportPlanning and Design Guidelines referred to in theprovisions of the Activity Centre Zone.5.8 Sensitive DevelopmentsSection 71A of the Airports Act requires a Master Planto identify any proposed ‘sensitive developments’, definedas development or redevelopment that increases thecapacity of the following:• residential dwelling• community care facility• pre-school• primary, secondary, tertiary or othereducational institution• hospital.DRAFTA sensitive development does not include the following:• an aviation educational facility• accommodation for students studying at an aviationeducational facility at the airport• a facility with the primary purpose of providingemergency medical treatment and which does nothave in-patient facilities• a facility with the primary purpose of providingin-house training to staff of an organisation conductingoperations at the airport.Sensitive developments are prohibited on Commonwealthleased airports except in exceptional circumstances, andrequire an airport to apply to the Minister for approval toprepare a draft Major Development Plan (MDP) for theproposed development. The Minister may approve thepreparation of the draft MDP only if he or she is satisfiedthat there are exceptional circumstances that support itspreparation.There are no specific proposals for sensitive developmentin this Master Plan. However, the provisions of theActivity Centre Zone enable a sensitive developmentto be considered subject to the Minister’s approvalto prepare a draft MDP.68

Airport Land Use Plan :: 55.9 Consistency with Planning Schemesunder State LawThe Airports Act requires a Master Plan to describe theextent to which the proposals contained in the Plan areconsistent with planning schemes in force under statelaw. This includes how the proposed developments fitwithin the planning schemes for commercial and retaildevelopment in the area adjacent to the airport.Within Specialised Activity Centres such as MelbourneAirport, complementary mixed uses are encouraged,provided they do not compete with nearby CentralActivities Districts or Principal or Major Activity Centres,or inhibit the centre’s specialised role.Like many airports around the world, non-aviationdevelopment occurs on the Melbourne Airport site.Non-aviation property development is complementary tothe airport’s operations and consistent with general urbanplanning arrangements in the north-west of Melbourne,including Melbourne 2030 and the Hume PlanningScheme. The Specialised Activity Centre status providesemployment and other economic benefits for the localarea, and acts as a physical buffer between the 24-hourairport operations and residential areas. This pattern ofdevelopment is complementary to other activity centresnear the airport and makes good use of availableinfrastructure. Section 8 of this Master Plan providesfurther information regarding Melbourne Airport’snon-aviation development plan.Given the airport’s designation as an activity centre underthe metropolitan strategy for Melbourne, applying theActivity Centre Zone to the airport site in this Master Planis consistent with the State Planning Policy Frameworkand Victoria Planning Provisions.While the Master Plan and Activity Centre Zone providefor complementary retail and commercial development tooccur on land not required for aviation uses, there are nospecific developments proposed in this Master Plan thatare likely to conflict with surrounding planning schemes,particularly having regard to the State Government’scurrent planning zone reforms.DRAFTMELBOURNE Airport Master plan 2013 – PRELIMINARY DRAFT : : 69

5.10 Pre-Existing InterestsIn developing this Master Plan, all interests existing atthe time the airport lease was created were considered,including easements, licences, leases and sub-leases.There are no conflicts or inconsistencies existing betweenthese interests and any proposals in the Master Plan.Melbourne Airport will continue to ensure that any airportdevelopment contemplated will not interfere with therights granted under any pre-existing interest.Figure 1.3 shows the existing aerodrome and the locationof all interests that existed as of 2 July 1997 and whichstill remain.5.11 Development Approval ProcessIf a use or development is proposed on Commonwealthland within Melbourne Airport, a four-step approvalprocess must be followed:• The proponent must obtain from Melbourne Airporta Planning and Design Approval in accordance withthe provisions of this Master Plan and the ActivityCentre Zone.• If required, MDP approval from the Minister must beobtained under the provisions of the Airports Act.• Building Activity Consent must be obtained fromMelbourne Airport under the provisions of the Airports(Building Control) Regulations 1996.• A Building Permit must be obtained from the AirportBuilding Controller (ABC) under the provisions of theAirports (Building Control) Regulations 1996. TheABC is advised by the Airport Environment Officer(AEO). Both the ABC and AEO are independentofficers employed by the Commonwealth Government.Melbourne Airport has a set of Planning and DesignGuidelines for on-airport developments that must beconsidered and addressed to obtain Planning and DesignApproval. The Planning and Design Guidelines apply tomost new developments on airport land, and requirecompliance with the Master Plan. The guidelines requireproponents to consider matters such as building heights,acoustic treatments, safety and security, use of nonreflectivematerials, illumination levels, landscaping,signage and environment. The potential impacts ofon-airport commercial and industrial developmentson neighbouring properties must also be considered,including issues such as privacy, noise levels andbuilding setbacks.Melbourne Airport also has a Development Manualthat must be considered and addressed as part of theBuilding Activity Consent process.DRAFTFor any major airport development or sensitive development,as defined in the Airports Act, an MDP must be prepared,placed on public exhibition and submitted to the Ministerfor approval, prior to obtaining Building Activity Consent.Part 5, Division 4 of the Airports Act sets out theMDP requirements.Planning and Design approval and MDP approval(if required) are prerequisites for obtaining BuildingActivity Consent. A Building Permit cannot be obtaineduntil Building Activity Consent has been granted.70