Geelong Regional Airport Feasibility Study

for Victorian Government: Department of Business and Innovation

REHBEIN Airport Consulting was commissioned by the Department of Business and Innovation in conjunction with Regional Development Victoria and the City of Greater Geelong to undertake the Geelong Regional Airport Feasibility Study.

At the end of June 2011 the Geelong Airport at Grovedale was scheduled to close, with the site to be redeveloped as part of the Armstrong Creek housing developments. With the impending closure of the Grovedale site, alternative locations needed to be identified to accommodate the aircraft based at the Geelong Airport. Both the City of Greater Geelong and the Department of Business and Innovation also wished to conduct a broad review of available infrastructure and opportunities for General Aviation (GA) within the Greater Geelong Region over the long term.

The study reviewed the long-term airport requirements within the Greater Geelong Region to enable the continued growth of General Aviation opportunities and to accommodate appropriate aviation and non-aviation activities for the next 30 – 50 years. Through a process of targeted stakeholder consultation and desktop analysis, a set of conceptual requirements for the future facilities was determined. Existing aerodrome sites were assessed to determine their suitability for expansion to meet future requirements. A series of potential greenfield sites was also identied and all candidate sites were subject to a multi-criteria assessment covering a range of technical and planning factors to determine the two most favourable solutions. These were then considered in greater detail with respect to expected development costs and timeframes.

The purpose of the feasibility study was to provide both Government and Council with a robust report on the future aviation needs within the Greater Geelong Region so that future planning and economic assessments could be undertaken.