New flight plan in the works

By Lachlan Ellis

A master plan for the Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome has been deferred for a future Council meeting, with a third of respondents to the latest community survey disapproving of the plans.

The new Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome Master Plan came before Council’s 3 August Ordinary Meeting, after “extensive stakeholder and community consultation”.

The Master Plan received a total of 150 responses, with the ‘Final Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome Master Plan’ completing public consultation over May and June. Ten out of 15 respondents approved the final plan.

The Master Plan is designed to assist Council and the Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome Management Inc. (BMAM) in decision-making over the next 20-years, and proposes five new land precincts across the Aerodrome: the Aerodrome Precinct, the Aerodrome Expansion Precinct, the Hangar Precinct, the Terminal Precinct, and the Aviation Services Precinct.

The Master Plan notes that “without clear direction and certainty” from a Master Plan, “future investment in aerodrome facilities by current and potential users is unlikely”, despite strong population growth in Bacchus Marsh, and the potential of the Aerodrome to capitalise on that growth.

Among the concerns of those surveyed were potential shortening of runway strip widths to 80 metres to facilitate the establishment of parallel gliding strips, land rezoning restricting development of the Parwan Employment Precinct, and the possibility of the Aerodrome being monopolised by single user groups.

Cr Edwards moved to defer the new Master Plan on the basis that “there are a couple of items that need to be rectified”.

The motion to defer was seconded by Cr Rod Ward, and approved unanimously by all Councillors.