Melbourne airport must adopt new health-based metrics based on World Health Organization research for its proposed third runway to ensure people aren’t exposed to harmful noise levels, a group of transport experts say.
The $1.9bn proposal for the airport’s 3km third runway, due to open by the end of the decade, will be submitted to the federal government for approval next year.
The Victorian Transport Action Group (Vtag), an independent forum of transport experts including former transport bureaucrats, political staffers and council workers, has urged the airport to overhaul the metrics being used to determine the impact of noise.
It said the airport’s current noise impact metrics were not fit for purpose as they only take into account “distraction” and disturbance to nearby communities, without considering the risk of health deterioration due to noise.
“The health of a growing number of people exposed to airport noise is of increasing concern,” Vtag said.
Residents in areas to the north and south of the airport who will be the most affected by additional flights have separately raised concerns about noise levels during the consultation phase for the project, which ends next month.
Melbourne airport uses the Australian Noise Exposure Forecast (Anef) – standardised across Australia for statutory planning purposes. Across Australia, land with an Anef of less than 20 is regarded as being acceptable for residential dwellings.
In a submission on the project, Vtag said the airport should instead draw on WHO research published in 2018 that linked aircraft-generated noise to noise distress, sleep disturbance levels and delays in cognitive development.
The WHO research concluded the maximum average daytime noise level should be below 45db – which Vtag argues is comparable to Anef 10.
“Given recent research and recommendations from WHO, the Anef contours … are inadequate to properly protect the health of the surrounding airport community,” Vtag said in its submission.
Vtag also argued the federal government should not approve the airport’s proposal until a wider independent review of the existing noise metrics is undertaken that focuses on community health.
The airport has argued the third runway is essential to cope with future growth demands, including tourism and freight needs. It has forecast annual passenger numbers will grow from 37 million to more than 76 million by 2042.
A spokesperson for the airport said it encouraged people to explore its interactive noise and flight path tool on its website to “familiarise themselves with the forecast changes in their area”.
“Melbourne airport is being as upfront as possible with the community about the benefits and impacts associated with the new runway, and has applied methodology for modelling and describing noise and its impacts, in line with Australian regulation and best practice.”
The Melbourne airport chief executive, Lyell Strambi, has vowed to engage with residents in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the situation at Brisbane airport, where local residents claimed they were misled about the noise from a second runway.
Brisbane airport is now trialling interim noise-reduction changes after an independent forum – established by the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce – made a series of recommendations after noise complaints were made about the airport’s parallel runway, which opened in June 2020.
The Aircraft Noise Ombudsman found Airservices Australia had not provided enough information to residents about the impacts of the flight path changes.
