Essendon Airport Office Major Development Plan - Transport Impact Assessment

Transcription

1 Essendon Airport Office Major Development Plan - Transport Impact Assessment TIA001E-F.docx 6 October 2017 onemilegrid.com.au 1/59 Keele Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066 (03)

2 onemilegrid ABN: (03) /59 Keele Street COLLINGWOOD, VIC DOCUMENT INFORMATION Prepared for Essendon Airport Pty Ltd File Name TIA001E-F.docx Report Date 6 October 2017 Prepared by James Dear Reviewed by Valentine Gnanakone Signature Signature One Mile Grid Pty Ltd. This document has been prepared by onemilegrid for the sole use and benefit of the client as per the terms of engagement. It may not be modified or altered, copied, reproduced, sold or transferred in whole or in part in any format to any person other than by agreement. onemilegrid does not assume responsibility or liability to any third party arising out of use or misuse of this document. Page 2

3 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION PLANNING POLICY Airports Act Essendon Airport Land Use Plan EXISTING CONDITIONS Location and Land Use Subject Site Existing Airport Uses English Street Precinct Beaufort North Precinct and Wirraway North Precinct Aviation Precinct 1 and Airfield Precinct Hart Precinct Bulla Precinct Road Network Tullamarine Freeway English Street Wirraway Road Larkin Boulevard Nomad Road Public Transport Bicycle Network Walkability CityLink-Tulla Widening Collector Distributor Projects Existing Traffic Volumes Intersection Operations DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL CAR PARKING CONSIDERATIONS Statutory Car Parking Requirements Planning Scheme Parking Provision Requirements Recommended Car Parking Provision TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS Traffic Volumes Development Traffic Generation Traffic Distribution Intersection Operation Traffic Generation Traffic Volumes Traffic Impacts CONCLUSIONS TABLES Table 1 Public Transport Services Summary Table 2 SIDRA Results Existing Operating Conditions Table 3 Clause Car Parking Rates Table Development Summary Table 5 SIDRA Results 2017 Operating Conditions Post Construction Table 6 Anticipated Traffic Generation Rates (Movements / Space) Table 7 Anticipated Traffic Generation Table 8 Post-Development Intersection Performance Page 3

4 FIGURES Figure 1 Site Location... 6 Figure 2 Subject Site Aerial View... 7 Figure 3 Essendon Airport Master Plan Precincts... 8 Figure 4 Public Transport Routes Figure 5 Principal Bicycle Network Figure 6 English Street Bridge Widening Figure 7 English Street Bridge Existing Arrangement (1 st September 2017) Figure 8 English Street Bridge Previous Arrangement (Prior to February 2017) Figure 9 Collector-Distributor Links Figure 10 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak Figure 11 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak Figure 12 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak Figure 13 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak Figure 14 Traffic Generation Rates Figure 15 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak (2017) Figure 16 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak (2017) Figure 17 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak (2017) Figure 18 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak (2017) Figure 19 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak (Post- Development) 35 Figure 20 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak (Post- Development) 36 Figure 21 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak (Post-Development) 37 Figure 22 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak (Post-Development) 38 Page 4

5 1 INTRODUCTION onemilegrid has been engaged by Essendon Airport Pty Ltd to assist with preparation of a Transport Impact Assessment (TIA) for the proposed office development located on English Street. The TIA will detail any potential impacts arising from the development, and outline any measures necessary to mitigate these impacts. As part of this assessment the subject site has been inspected with due consideration of the development proposal, traffic data has been sourced and relevant background reports have been reviewed including the following: Federal Airports Act 1996; Essendon Airport Ground Transport Plan (GTA, Feb 2013); Essendon Fields Ground Transport Plan Transport Survey Report (Jacobs, Feb 2016); Essendon Fields Ground Transport Plan Stage 1 Traffic Report (Jacobs, May 2016); Essendon Fields Development Pipeline; Essendon Airport Master Plan 2013; and Bulla Road Interchange, Essendon Diverging Diamond Interchange PRC Report (Arup, Dec 2014). 2 PLANNING POLICY 2.1 Airports Act 1996 Planning and development on leased federal airport sites is regulated under Commonwealth law, and is not subject to state, territory or local government planning laws. Under the Commonwealth Airports Act 1996 (The Act) and associated regulations, the leased federal airports are subject to a range of obligations to manage and mitigate the impacts of planning and development at the airport. Where development on the airport land is proposed that may have significant impacts on the community, Section 89 of the Airports Act requires that a Major Development Plan be prepared that sets out a number of items including the likely effect of the proposed developments that are set out in the major development plan, or the draft of the major development plan, on traffic flows at the airport and surrounding the airport. The Act outlines specific criteria for triggering the Major Development Plan process, which incudes that applicable to the proposed development as follows: (e) constructing a new building, where: (i) the building is not wholly or principally for use as a passenger terminal; and (ii) the cost of construction exceeds $20 million or such higher amount as is prescribed; The following report has been prepared to address the requirements above, and sets out an assessment of traffic impacts arising from the proposed use. 2.2 Essendon Airport Land Use Plan The Essendon Airport Land Use Plan sets out policies and requirements for the use, development and protection of Commonwealth land at Essendon Airport. The Land Use Plan was last amended by the Victorian Government via VC100 on 15 July 2013, with any changes considered and incorporated as part of a wider review of the Land Use Plan for the Airport s 2019 Master Plan. Page 5

6 The Land Use Plan is generally consistent with land use planning, zoning and development legislation in force in Victoria, including in the City of Moonee Valley, and outlines policy framework, zone requirements, overlay requirements, particular provisions, general provisions, and general definitions. 3 EXISTING CONDITIONS 3.1 Location and Land Use Essendon Airport is an aviation, retail and commercial precinct located some 11 kilometres northwest of Melbourne s CBD. The precinct accommodates the Essendon Airport, Essendon Fields Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) and Homemaker Hub, and various commercial and industrial uses as shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 Site Location Essendon Airport Subject Site Essendon Airport is bound by Tullamarine Freeway to the south and west. The north and east of the airport are bound predominantly by residential areas and also bound by the Moonee Ponds Creek. The airport includes three road access connections to Tullamarine Freeway; at the north-west corner, midway on the western side and midway on the southern side. There is a semi-private connection to the residential area to the north-east however it is understood that this is not intended for general public use. A single pedestrian overpass provides connectivity between Vaughan Street and Matthews Avenue over the freeway, with one overpass recently removed south of English street to be replaced as part of the Tullamarine Freeway widening works. Page 6

7 3.2 Subject Site The subject site is located on the north-eastern corner of the intersection between English Street and Nomad Road. An aerial view of the site location is provided in Figure 2 below. The site has frontages of approximately 65 metres to Nomad Road and 80 metres to English Street, with a site area of approximately 5,200m 2. The site is currently vacant, with no vehicular access to either frontage road. Figure 2 Subject Site Aerial View Subject Site Page 7

8 3.3 Existing Airport Uses The master plan for the Essendon Airport proposed in 2013 separates the site into seven precincts, summarised below and demonstrated in Figure 3. English Street Precinct; Beaufort North Precinct; Wirraway North Precinct; Aviation Precinct 1; Hart Precinct; Bulla Precinct; Airfield Precinct; Figure 3 Essendon Airport Master Plan Precincts Page 8

9 3.3.1 English Street Precinct The English Street Precinct is predominantly occupied by office uses and a neighbourhood shopping precinct, which includes approximately 15 speciality shops and two large format supermarkets. The English Street Precinct is located at the main road connection to Tullamarine Freeway on the western side of the site. Construction of a hotel and events centre has recently been completed on the northern side of English Street, whilst construction of a large office facility on the southern side of English Street is also nearing completion Beaufort North Precinct and Wirraway North Precinct The Beaufort North Precinct and Wirraway North Precincts are located in the northern end of the site and include a mix of uses including: 11 automotive sale facilities; Australia Post; Police and Ambulance Air Wing; Multiple pre-delivery centres; and Multiple aviation hangars and air service buildings. The Beaufort North Precinct and Wirraway North Precincts include the main road connection to Tullamarine Freeway in the north-west corner of the site Aviation Precinct 1 and Airfield Precinct These precincts are used for predominantly aviation uses only Hart Precinct The Hart Precinct was previously land-locked by the Aviation Precinct and the residential areas to the north-east of the site. In 2016 a new access road was constructed, linking the precinct to the site s internal road network. Two aircraft hangars were recently completed within the precinct, adjacent to a runway. Uses proposed in the Hart Precinct in the longer term include hangars, vehicle storage and office/warehouse providing commercial and light industrial office facilities for both aviation and non-aviation related uses Bulla Precinct The Bulla Precinct is located at the southern end of the site and includes DFO and homemaker retail land uses. The DFO retail uses include multiple restricted retail tenancies and are understood to provide employment for around 1,000 employees. The Bulla Precinct includes the road connection to the Tullamarine Freeway at the southern end of the site. The road connection currently provides access to the Bulla Precinct only. However, new road connections to other precincts are proposed. Page 9

10 3.4 Road Network Tullamarine Freeway The Tullamarine Freeway connects the site to the Inner Melbourne area to the south-east and extends beyond the site to the north-west, towards Melbourne Airport. At the south-west corner of the site there is a major intersection between Tullamarine Freeway and Calder Freeway. In the vicinity of the site, Tullamarine Freeway includes a dual carriageway width of approximately 25m with generally six traffic lanes, three in either direction, with road works currently underway for widening. Previous vehicle counts undertaken in the area have identified that Tullamarine Freeway carries in the order of 45,000 80,000 vehicles per day in each direction English Street English Street is an internal road under the control of Essendon Airport. English Street is aligned generally east-west, extending from the main connection to Tullamarine Freeway at the western side of the site. English Street generally comprises two traffic lanes in each direction within separate carriageways. There is a roundabout on English Street, located approximately 150 metres east of the Tullamarine Freeway interchange Wirraway Road Wirraway Road is one of the major internal roads under the control of Essendon Airport. Wirraway Road is aligned generally north-south and is connected to Tullamarine Freeway and Melrose Drive at the northern road connection to the site. Wirraway Road generally comprises dual carriageways with two traffic lanes in each direction Larkin Boulevard Larkin Boulevard is an internal road under the control of Essendon Airport. Larkin Boulevard comprises dual carriageways with two traffic lanes in each direction, with kerbside parking within the kerbside traffic lane. It is understood that Larkin Boulevard will ultimately provide a link through to Wirraway Road and will be progressively extended as development continues Nomad Road Nomad Road is a lower order internal road under the control of Essendon Airport. It is aligned generally north-south between Bristol Street and Short Street, bisected by English Street in the centre. North of English Street, it provides a single traffic lane in each direction, with kerbside parking along the western side adjacent to the subject site, and the eastern side further to the north. A raised pedestrian crossing provides for continuous pedestrian connectivity across Nomad Road to the site s north. Page 10

11 3.5 Public Transport The subject area is serviced by public transport with bus and tram services operating along Matthews Avenue on the western side of Tullamarine Freeway. The public transport services in the area are shown in Figure 4 and then further detailed within Table 1 overleaf. overleaf. The nearest train station to the site is Essendon Station which is located 3.2km to the southeast. Figure 4 Public Transport Routes Subject Site There are a number of public transport services in the vicinity of Essendon Airport however with the exception of the Smart Bus Connection to the DFO during business hours, the overall quality of connections both to the existing public transport stops and the wider public transport network are poor. In order to access the English Street precinct from the metropolitan rail network, a person would need to transfer to the Route 59 tram or a Matthews Avenue Buses from Essendon Station. Essendon Airport management have recognised this as an issue and operate an independent bus for visitors and staff of Essendon Airport to and from Essendon Station. This service currently runs at 30 minute intervals between 7:15AM-9:30AM and 4:15PM-6:30PM, picking up adjacent to Essendon Railway Station, and dropping off along both sides of English Street. It is noted however that this service could be extended to provided additional stops within Essendon Airport subject to demand. Page 11

12 Table 1 Public Transport Services Summary Service Route No. Route Description Nearest Stop Tram 59 Airport West Flinders Street Station, City Matthews Avenue Bus Moonee Ponds Broadmeadows Station via Essendon, Airport West, Gladstone Park Airport West SC Melbourne Airport via Melrose Drive Airport West SC Sunbury Station via Melbourne Airport Airport West SC Melbourne Airport via South Centre Road Airport West to Gowanbrae via Melrose Drive, Gowanbrae Drive 501 Moonee Ponds Niddrie via Strathmore 902 Chelsea Airport West (SMARTBUS Service) 952 Night Bus City Footscray Maribyrnong Airport West Gladstone Park Broadmeadows Matthews Avenue Airport West Shopping Centre Matthews Avenue Page 12

13 3.6 Bicycle Network Limited bicycle connections are currently provided to the Essendon Airport from the surrounding areas, however it is noted that Matthews Avenue is included within the Principal Bicycle Network in the vicinity of the site. The Principal Bicycle Network, released in 2012, is shown in Figure 5. The site does have good connectivity to the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail to the east. Figure 5 Principal Bicycle Network Subject Site 3.7 Walkability The pedestrian access to Essendon Airport is generally restricted by Tullamarine Freeway. Pedestrian access is provided via the western and southern road connections, as well as the two pedestrian overpasses on the western side of the airport. Page 13

14 3.8 CityLink-Tulla Widening As part of the ongoing CityLink-Tulla Widening works, the English Street Bridge will be lengthened and widened to cater for additional through-lanes beneath, and provide for increased capacity to and from Essendon Airport. The works will provide the following: An additional dedicated turn lane for both inbound and outbound freeway directions on the bridge deck; Removal of one lane from the southbound freeway offramp; Extension of northbound freeway offramp turn lanes; and Construction of two additional outbound lanes from Essendon Airport. The work is currently being undertaken by Lend Lease, but line marking and signal works have not yet been completed for the ultimate configuration. A view of the future layout is provided in Figure 6 below. Figure 6 English Street Bridge Widening A view of the existing interim arrangement is provided in Figure 7, with a view of the previous layout (prior to February 2017) provided in Figure 8 below. Page 14

15 Figure 7 English Street Bridge Existing Arrangement (1 st September 2017) Figure 8 English Street Bridge Previous Arrangement (Prior to February 2017) Page 15

16 3.9 Collector Distributor Projects As part of far-reaching improvements to the Tullamarine Freeway operation, VicRoads have prepared plans for the construction of two Collector-Distributor projects. The first, the Bell Street Collector-Distributor, will provide an early freeway exit for southbound drivers wishing to exit to Bell Street, by removing them from the main carriageway at the Bulla Road offramp location. The second, the English Street Collector-Distributor, will provide an early freeway exit prior at Bulla Road for northbound Tullamarine Freeway vehicles exiting to Matthews Avenue. Both projects are intended to reduce weaving and merging issues along the freeway and create additional off-ramp capacity. Both Collector-Distributors, in conjunction with the ongoing Tullamarine Freeway widening works, and the Bell Street Collector-Distributor and intended to provide a package of works will facilitate increased traffic growth along the freeway and improved travel times and capacity. The overall concept for the Collector-Distributors are shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 Collector-Distributor Links Calder Freeway Bell Street Exit Tulla Freeway Bell Street Exit Realigned Bulla Road Onramp Tulla Freeway Matthews Ave Exit Realigned Bulla Road Onramp The Bell Street component of the works has recently been opened. Page 16

17 3.10 Existing Traffic Volumes To assist with the transport planning for Essendon Airport, Jacobs was engaged to collect and survey all traffic and pedestrian movements at the access points to Essendon Airport during October to November The surveys were undertaken at all access points to Essendon Airport from the surrounding road network and selected internal locations over a 12 hour period for a typical weekday. This was obtained from a combination of video-based traffic surveys, and SCATS-based automatic count data from the adjacent signalised intersections. The surveys revealed three distinct peak periods as follows: A morning peak hour from 7:45am-8:45am (2,420 vehicles per hour); An evening peak hour from 4:30pm -5:30pm (2,770 vehicles per hour); An afternoon peak from 12:15pm-1:15pm (2,800 vehicles per hour). From the above counts, the base condition traffic volumes were established at each of the three site accesses; Matthews Avenue / Tullamarine Freeway, Bulla Road / Tullamarine Freeway, and Melrose Drive / Wirraway Road as summarised in the following figures. It is noted that since the traffic counts were undertaken, the Melrose Drive / Wirraway Road / Tullamarine Freeway has undergone significant reconstruction. As such, existing conditions traffic volumes have been estimated based on the previously surveyed traffic volumes and distribution. The AM and PM weekday peak hours have been analysed as they will represent the greatest impact on the overall road network. It is further noted that as no internal connections are provided between the Bulla Precinct and the remainder of the airport, those traffic volumes, and associated traffic impacts have been omitted from this report. Page 17

18 Figure 10 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak Page 18

19 Figure 11 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak Page 19

20 Figure 12 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak Page 20

21 Figure 13 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak Page 21

22 3.11 Intersection Operations To assess the surveyed operation of the intersection the traffic volumes have been input into SIDRA Intersection, a traffic modelling software package. The SIDRA Intersection software package has been developed to provide information on the capacity of an intersection with regard to a number of parameters. Those parameters considered relevant are, Degree of Saturation (DoS), 95th Percentile Queue, and Average Delay as described below: Degree of Saturation (DoS) - The DoS represents the ratio of the traffic volume making a particular movement compared to the maximum capacity for that particular movement. The value of the DoS has a corresponding rating depending on the ratio as shown below. Degree of Saturation Rating Up to 0.60 Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Above 1.00 Very Poor It is noted that whilst the range of is rated as poor, it is acceptable for critical movements at an intersection to be operating within this range during high peak periods, reflecting actual conditions in a significant number of suburban signalised intersections. Average Delay (seconds) - Average delay is the time delay that can be expected for all vehicles undertaking a particular movement in seconds. 95th Percentile (95%ile) Queue - 95%ile queue represents the maximum queue length in metres that can be expected in 95% of observed queue lengths in the peak hour The results of the analysis are provided in Table 2 for each of the intersections identified above. It is noted that the Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway intersection was modelled with the previous intersection layout and operation. Table 2 SIDRA Results Existing Operating Conditions Intersection D.o.S. Delay (s) Queue (m) AM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) PM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) As identified above, the Matthews Avenue / English Street / Freeway Interchange intersection was operating at close to capacity during the AM peak period, with lengthy delays and queues experienced on most approaches. The eastern portion of this intersection, at the exit of the airport, operates with improved conditions. The Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway intersection is operation under excellent conditions in both AM and PM peaks, with minimal queues and delays on all approaches. Page 22

23 The analysis indicates that there is limited capacity at the English Street and Bulla Road intersections to accommodate traffic growth from the precinct based on 2015 traffic volumes, and the 2015 arrangement of the English Street bridge and freeway interchange. Page 23

24 4 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL It is proposed to develop the subject site for a six-storey (plus basement) office building, comprising a total of 14,047m 2 Net Leasable Floor Area. In addition, a café (230m 2 ) is proposed to be provided on the ground floor, which will be ancillary to the main office use. A basement car park accommodating 50 parking spaces is proposed to be provided for the use, accessed from a two-way crossover to Nomad Road adjacent to the site s north-western corner. Additional car parking is to be provided for the use within at-grade parking areas adjacent to the site. Bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities are also proposed to be accommodated within the basement area, with a total of 114 bicycle parking spaces, 22 shower / changerooms, and 236 lockers provided for staff of the use. Loading vehicles and waste collection activity will be accommodated within a dedicated loading bay, also accessed from Nomad Road. Primary pedestrian access to the building is proposed to be provided from mid-way along the English Street frontage. Page 24

25 5 CAR PARKING CONSIDERATIONS 5.1 Statutory Car Parking Requirements Planning and development on leased federal airport sites is regulated under Commonwealth law, and is not subject to state, territory or local government planning laws. It is noted however that Clause of the Essendon Airport Land Use Plan does outline the car parking requirements for new uses within the airport. Amongst others, the Clause outlines the following purposes: To provide the opportunity to use parking precinct plans in appropriate locations; To promote efficient use of car spaces through the consolidation of car parking facilities; and To ensure the provision of an appropriate number of car spaces having regard to the activities on the land and the nature of the locality. For office uses, it requires that car parking be provided at a rate of 3.5 spaces per 100m 2 of office net floor area. Application of this rate to the 14,047 m 2 net floor area proposed gives a requirement for 491 car spaces. For the 230 m 2 café use (most appropriately classified as a Restaurant ), the clause requires car parking be provided at a rate of 0.6 car spaces to each seat available to the public. Whilst no seat numbers are indicated on development plans, it is estimated that approximately 100 seats may be accommodated within the tenancy. This equates to a requirement for 60 car spaces. Based on the above, a total of 551 car spaces are required under Clause of the Land Use Plan. It is noted that the café component is unlikely to attract parking demands in its own right, instead trading largely from employees of the office use above, and other businesses in the area. As such, these requirements above are considerable inflated from the actual requirements of the use. The Clause specifically notes that approval may be given to reduce or to waive the number of car spaces required by the table. Before a requirement for car spaces is reduced or waived, the applicant must satisfy the Airport Operator that the reduced provision is justified due to: Any relevant parking precinct plan. The availability of car parking in the locality. The availability of public transport in the locality. Any reduction in car parking demand due to the sharing of car spaces by multiple uses, either because of variation of car parking demand over time or because of efficiencies gained from the consolidation of shared car parking spaces. Any car parking deficiency or surplus associated with the existing use of the land. Any credit which should be allowed for a car parking demand deemed to have been provided in association with a use which existed before the change of parking requirement. Local traffic management. Local amenity including pedestrian amenity. An empirical assessment of car parking demand. Any other relevant consideration. 5.2 Planning Scheme Parking Provision Requirements Notwithstanding the above, the Victorian Planning Scheme, upon which the above requirements are based, is considered to provide an appropriate baseline for assessing car parking provision for the new use. Page 25

26 The car parking provision requirements for most new developments within Victoria are currently outlined within Clause of the Planning Scheme. The Clause outlines two rates for parking provision: Column A which are the standard rates: and Column B which are alternate (lower) rates which only apply where specified by a Parking Overlay. A summary of the relevant parking provision rates for office and café uses is provided in Table 3 below. As identified above, the café component is unlikely to attract additional parking demands in its own right, instead trading largely from employees of the precinct. Table 3 Clause Car Parking Rates Use Column A Rates Column B Rates Office 3.5 spaces per 100 m 2 NFA 3.0 spaces per 100 m 2 NFA Café (Food and Drinks Premises) 4 spaces per 100 m 2 LFA 3.5 spaces per 100 m 2 LFA Application of the above rates to the 14,047m 2 Net Leasable Floor Area for the office proposed onsite equates to parking provisions of 491 and 421 car spaces for the two respective provision rates above. Additionally, the café generates a parking requirement for between 8-9 car spaces. It is noted that current planning trends are for reductions in the above rates (below the Column B requirements) in locations where access to sustainable transport modes and amenities, and sharing of public parking across activity centres drives reduced demand for car parking. Further to the above, car parking surveys undertaken by a variety of consultants have recorded car parking generation rates for office uses ranging from spaces per 100 square metres of office floor area depending on the location of the site, access to public transport, proximity to amenities and type of business. 5.3 Recommended Car Parking Provision Office parking demands are, in part, dependant on the supply of parking. Where unlimited car parking is provided, and at no cost, parking demands will be high as there are no incentives to alter travel mode choices. Where there is a limited supply of long-term parking, or where a cost is associated with its use (e.g. paid parking, or inconvenience from shuffling time-restricted parking spaces), employees are encouraged to shift to more sustainable travel modes from private vehicle transport. Providing limited long-term car parking is in line with current planning policy to limit private car usage and encourage take-up of sustainable transport modes, and thus it is recommended that parking provisions are not based on upon maximum estimated demands. Based on our experience, and having regard to the location and context of the subject site, it is recommended that car parking be provided at a rate of between car spaces per 100m 2 for the office use. This equates to a recommended provision of between car spaces. With 50 parking spaces proposed to be accommodated within the basement car park, it is recommended that a further parking spaces are provided off-site for occupants of the use. As any parking demands associated with the café will be minimal, it is considered that the above supply of parking will be sufficient to accommodate for all users on-site. It is noted that not all parking provided for the use would need to be newly constructed. This provision may include any vacancies within existing parking areas within the airport site. If newly constructed, this provision of parking would require approximately 8,000-9,600m 2 area put aside. Page 26

27 6 TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS Traffic Volumes Development Noting that the traffic volumes utilised for analysis were gathered during late-2015, they will not necessarily be representative of current traffic volumes to and from the site. In order to estimate the current volumes, and develop an appropriate base for assessing development impacts, traffic generation for the development works undertaken between November 2015 and April 2017 has been estimated. This development includes auto retail, office, hotel and aviation projects throughout the Essendon Airport site summarised in Table 4 below. Table Development Summary Precinct Use Floor Area (m 2 ) Wirraway North Precinct Auto Retail 9,073 English Street Precinct Office 4,696 Hotel 12,334 Hart Precinct Aviation 8,147 Aviation Precinct Office 3,325 Aviation 1,875 Recreation 1, Traffic Generation In assessing the level of traffic generated by these recent developments, the following assumptions have been made with regard to traffic generation rates and distributions. Traffic generation rates for the various land-use classifications were sourced from a combination of site-specific rates established by surveys, case-study data held by onemilegrid and from traffic studies undertaken by other consultants. Figure 14 Use Traffic Generation Rates Rate / 100m 2 AM Peak PM Peak Daily In Out Rate / 100m 2 Office 2 90% 10% 2 10% 90% 10 Auto Retail % 20% % 80% 7 In Out Rate / 100m 2 Aviation % 20% % 70% 0.5 Hotel % 40% % 60% 5 Recreation 1 70% 30% 3 30% 70% 20 This level of development is estimated to equate to an additional peak hour traffic generation of 252 and 435 trips during the AM and PM peaks, with an additional 2,364 vehicle movements per day. These trips will be spread amongst the two main freeway connections from the site. Page 27

28 6.1.3 Traffic Distribution The following external traffic distribution has been adopted, based on existing traffic distributions identified in traffic studies previously prepared by Jacobs and GTA, which included employee location of residence and origin-destinations surveys. North (via Tullamarine Freeway) 18% North (via Melrose Drive) 12% West 15% South (via Keilor Road or Bulla Road) 15% South (via Tullamarine Freeway) 40% Superimposing these additional traffic volumes onto the existing volumes identified in Section 3.10 above allows us to estimate the 2017 base-case traffic volumes presented in Figure 10 to Figure 13 overleaf. Page 28

29 Figure 15 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak (2017) Page 29

30 Figure 16 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak (2017) Page 30

31 Figure 17 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak (2017) Page 31

32 Figure 18 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak (2017) Page 32

33 Intersection Operation Following completion of the road works in the coming months, all lanes at the English Street intersection will open/re-open and the operation will markedly improve. The post-construction operation of this intersection and that of the Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway intersection is detailed in Table 5 below. Table 5 SIDRA Results 2017 Operating Conditions Post Construction Intersection D.o.S. Delay (s) Queue (m) AM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) PM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) As shown above, the operation of the Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway intersection operation will return to fair conditions, with reasonable queues and delays on all approaches, freeing up considerable capacity for additional flows. The Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway intersection will only slightly reduce. 6.2 Traffic Generation In determining the appropriate traffic generation rate for the office use, reference is made to the Inner Municipalities Parking Study prepared in 1991 by the Inner Metropolitan Regional Association. This study provides details the outputs of comprehensive traffic and parking surveys undertaken at 24 office sites within inner metropolitan Melbourne. The survey results showed average traffic generation rates of 2.15 and 1.96 movements per 100m 2 of net floor area in the AM and PM peak periods respectively. Further analysis of the results indicates that during the morning peak period, an average traffic generation of 0.64 inbound trips and 0.01 outbound trips per parking space (peak demand) was observed. Similarly, in the PM peak period, an average traffic generation of 0.58 outbound trips and 0.02 inbound trips per parking space (peak demand) was observed. The above suggests that in a constrained situation, where parking is expected to be fully utilised, approximately 65% of the car park turns over during the AM peak (with 1% in the counter peak direction), and approximately 60% of the car park turns over during the PM peak (with 2% in the counter peak direction). Noting that a reduced supply of parking is proposed, traffic generation is assumed to be related to parking provision (rather than floor area). The following traffic generation rates have been adopted. Table 6 Anticipated Traffic Generation Rates (Movements / Space) Period Inbound Outbound Total AM Peak PM Peak Page 33

34 It is noted that these traffic generation rates do not assume any reduction attributable to the implementation of green travel initiatives, which have been demonstrated in the mast to measurably reduce traffic generation. Application of the above rates to the maximum of 420 spaces gives the anticipated traffic generated by the proposed development, shown in Table 7. It is noted that this is a conservative assessment of traffic impacts, adopting the upper range of parking provision. Table 7 Anticipated Traffic Generation Period Inbound Outbound Total AM Peak PM Peak Traffic Volumes The above traffic volumes were distributed across the internal road network having regard to the ultimate destinations presented in Section above, and the relative convenience of each route internally. This gives the anticipated post-development traffic volumes presented in Figure 19 to Figure 22 overleaf. Page 34

35 Figure 19 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - AM Peak (Post-Development) Page 35

36 Figure 20 Mathews Avenue / English Street / Tullamarine Freeway - PM Peak (Post-Development) Page 36

37 Figure 21 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway AM Peak (Post-Development) Page 37

38 Figure 22 Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway PM Peak (Post-Development) 39 Page 38

39 6.4 Traffic Impacts In order to assess the impacts of these additional development-generated traffic volumes upon the external intersections, the abovementioned traffic volumes have been input into SIDRA and reanalysed. A comparison of the pre- (2017 post-construction) and post-development scenarios are shown below in Table 8. Table 8 Post-Development Intersection Performance Intersection D.o.S. Delay (s) Queue (m) Ex. Future Ex. Future Ex. Future AM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) PM Peak Hour Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (W) Matthews Ave / English St / Tullamarine (E) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (N) Wirraway Rd / Melrose Dr / Tullamarine (S) As shown above, operation of the Matthews Avenue / English Street / Freeway Interchange intersection is expected to slightly decrease following the introduction of the new office, however it will still represent a marked improvement from the base-case 2015 conditions. A significant level of capacity will remain to accommodate any additional flows to and from the airport, remaining under fair operating conditions. The Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway intersection will experience negligible increases to queues and delays and will remain operating under excellent conditions. It is noted that the above traffic modelling has been undertaken assuming a slight reduction in parking provision from the rates specified within the Airport s Land Use Plan. This document specifies a provision of 491 car spaces for the office use, as opposed to a recommended provision of spaces. Should the additional parking be provided, this represents an increase of 71 car spaces, and up to 46 additional peak hour movements that may need to be accommodated onsite. A review of the critical Matthews Avenue / English Street / Freeway Interchange intersection with the addition of these traffic flows indicates no significant change to operation, with queues and delays on increasing by no more than 5% during the AM peak, and less than 5% during the PM peak. In consideration of the above analysis, it is determined that the proposed development will not adversely impact on traffic flows surrounding the airport. It is noted that as development continues within the airport that additional permeability will be provided between the various sections, with loop roads proposed be constructed at some stage in the future to provide connectivity between the Bulla Precinct and northern areas. Page 39

40 7 CONCLUSIONS It is proposed to develop part of the Essendon Airport site for an office development, comprising a six-storey (plus basement) buildings accommodating 14,047m 2 Net Leasable Floor Area. The development triggers the requirements for preparation of a Major Development Plan under the Airports Act of 1996, and thus this report has been prepared to assess the potential impacts arising from the development. Having regard to the above report, the following can be concluded: The development is to be serviced by a basement car park accommodating 50 parking spaces. Additional at-grade parking is to be provided to support the use; Bicycle parking and end-of-trip facilities are proposed to be accommodated within the basement area, with a total of 114 bicycle parking spaces, 22 shower / changerooms, and 233 lockers provided for staff of the use; It is recommended that parking be provided at a rate of spaces per 100m 2 to ensure that parking impacts are not created within and around the airport site. This recommendation is equivalent to total car spaces, requiring car parking spaces to be provided off-site for the use; An assessment of development-generated traffic impacts was undertaken, using 2017 estimated traffic volumes as a base-case for assessment. The additional traffic, estimated at between peak hour movements, would be readily accommodated within the soon-tobe upgraded Matthews Avenue / English Street / Freeway Interchange and existing Wirraway Road / Melrose Drive / Tullamarine Freeway intersection without need for additional mitigation works; and The proposed development does not raise any issues that have a significant impact on the local or regional community. Page 40