Another planned link to Melbourne Airport has failed to get off the ground. But this time it's a road, not a railway line that has been put on hold by the Andrews government.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne has blocked VicRoads' plans for a new six-lane freeway to the airport from the north, and a bypass of the town of Bulla, because the roads would divide several rural properties and slice through a national reserve.
In so doing, Mr Wynne has rejected the advice of a panel of planning experts that land for the freeway should be reserved now for future compulsory acquisition.
The Melbourne Airport Link is a planned extension of the Tullamarine Freeway beyond the airport towards Sunbury.
The link, along with the planned Bulla Bypass, is designed to make access to the airport and the CBD from Melbourne's north-western fringe easier by taking pressure off Sunbury Road.
Traffic data shows the two-lane, undivided road jams up in the peak. About 25,000 vehicles a day use the road, which makes a steep and dangerous S-bend through a deep gully and crosses Bulla Bridge, a narrow bluestone creek crossing that was built in 1869.
The Airport Link and Bulla Bypass are long-term plans for VicRoads that might not be built for another 15 to 30 years.
It is envisaged that they would eventually connect with the Outer Metropolitan Ring, a 100-kilometre bypass of Melbourne's outer north-west which Infrastructure Victoria recommended in its draft 30-year strategy this month also be built within the next 15 to 30 years.
But Mr Wynne's decision, made at the end of a methodical planning process, means VicRoads must return to the drawing board.
Mr Wynne said there was no question the roads would be needed one day, but the proposed route would have created too much hardship for properties in its path and risked making some equestrian farms unviable.
"We know there is a need for the Bulla Bypass as Melbourne's west continues to grow and we need a solution which delivers a new road with minimal impact to surrounding properties," he said.
"I have asked that other options be investigated which avoid cutting through properties to protect our green wedge."
There were 37 properties facing some acquisition, with 17 to have been divided by the road. The south-western corner of Woodlands Historic Park also would have been built over.
Kangaroos at Living Legends. Photo: Angela Wylie
Among the affected properties was Living Legends, an old homestead inside Woodlands Park where many retired champion racehorses are kept, and which is an international tourist attraction because it has many kangaroos.
The road would have "clipped the front gate" and cut off access from Melbourne and the airport, forcing people to take a lengthy detour to reach the place.
"It definitely would have affected people's access to Living Legends and for that matter the park," said manager Andrew Clarke. "It just would have made it more complicated to get here and that would have had an impact on the business."
Mr Clarke said the decision to reject VicRoads' proposed alignment was welcome news.
Mr Wynne has handballed the task of investigating an alternative route back to Luke Donnellan, the Roads Minister, with an option of duplicating Oaklands Road under consideration.
Upon coming to power, the Andrews government also indefinitely deferred plans the former Coalition government had to build a railway line to Melbourne Airport by 2026.
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