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Melbourne Airport has revealed plans for its Elite Park leisure and retail precinct.
The 32-hectare development will be located between the Tullamarine Freeway and Airport Drive and is set to be built in three stages over approximately nine years, with construction expected to begin next year and the first tenants tipped for 2026.
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Melbourne Airport’s chief of ground transport, property and retail, Jai McDermott, said the development is expected to support 2,140 local jobs and will be “a destination for work and leisure and an exciting place for the local community”.
“Urbnsurf is a great example of this. Australia’s first surf park is now one of the most popular attractions in Victoria, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year. Elite Park will build on the success of this facility and support the continued growth of the City of Hume as a tourism destination,” McDermott said.
“Elite Park will attract a range of tenants, including entertainment and leisure, food and beverage outlets, and large-format retail businesses. One of our expected tenants is Topgolf, who will bring their first facility to Melbourne.
“As well as thousands of jobs, this development is expected to create around $246 million in value to the Victorian economy each year, a significant boost for the state.”
Plans will go on public display from 26 September, with feedback open until 20 December.
The announcement follows news this month that the airport’s long-awaited third runway has been greenlit, with what Transport Minister Catherine King called the “most comprehensive set of conditions for a project of this type” to address noise concerns of nearby residents.
The 3,000-metre runway, planned to open in 2031, will be built parallel to the existing north-south runway and 1.3 kilometres to the west. Its opening will allow for simultaneous take-offs and landings, which the airport says will increase capacity and reduce delays.
Conditions include restoring the length of the east-west runway for noise sharing; designing and implementing a noise-sharing and airspace plan; implementing a noise amelioration program for affected communities; and conducting a community health study into noise impacts before and after the runway’s construction.
“My decision to require that the airport maintain sufficient capacity on the existing east-west runway is to support effective noise sharing at Melbourne Airport, so that no one community bears the brunt of the airport’s growth,” Minister King said.
