Government announces hamstrung Sydney aviation capacity scoping study

The Federal Government has appointed technical experts and consultants for a scoping study into Wilton’s suitability as a second Sydney Airport.

The scoping study will involve detailed economic, social and environmental investigations to assess the impact and viability of an airport at Wilton.

It will also explore the use of RAAF Base Richmond for limited civil operations, including any social, economic and environmental impacts.

However, the study will not be considering the Badgery’s Creek site that was set aside for Sydney’s second airport in the 1980s and still remains vacant, in Commonwealth ownership. Both the Coalition and Labor have shied away from the site in recent years, fearing an electoral backlash from the residential areas that have encroached on the site in the past two decades.

This is despite the fact that all studies to date have found Wilton to be only marginally suitable, whereas Badgery’s Creek has always received clear endorsement. Wilton is an important catchment area for three large dams that supply Sydney and Wollongong with drinking water, so much so that signs along the Hume Freeway warn motorists to report any spills; in addition, the Wilton area is also well-known as a subsidence zone from extensive long-wall coal mining in the area.

The main purpose of the study is to identify as early as possible the challenges and the opportunities of any airport development.

The following consultants have been appointed:

WorleyParsons, in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Airport Master Planning consultants, will conduct a detailed assessment of environmental and infrastructure aspects near Wilton;

Ernst and Young will conduct a thorough examination of the scale and nature of impacts of an airport development on the surrounding Wilton and Richmond communities, including factors such as aircraft noise, opportunities for employment and infrastructure investment; and

Both of these studies will be supported by passenger demand analysis undertaken by Booz and Company.

The scoping study is expected to take at least six months.