Flight noise affected suburbs’ soaring house prices as residents demand change

Despite initial concerns from real estate experts, property in flight noise affected suburbs continue to soar in value while some Mudjimba residents are seeking changes.

Flight noise remains a persistent issue for residents in heavily affected suburbs as soaring property values in those areas defy initial concerns from real estate experts.

When construction for the Sunshine Coast Airport runway extension and new flight paths began in 2018 some industry leaders predicted house prices and demand in areas near the aircraft routes could drop.

Richardson & Wrench Coolum Principal Mark Lawler said flight noise issues can have an impact on property prices in areas with high air traffic depending on its severity.

“It was a concern for everyone especially for people in Mudjimba and parts of Marcoola, these plans for the runway have been on the books for 20 years,” Mr Lawler said.

R & W Coolum Principal Mark Lawler

“If there was any effect, it was in the year they actually started building the runway and that’s when we noticed a little bit of a break in the area with people questioning whether it was a good place to be buying.”

Since June, 2020, values for property throughout the Sunshine Coast have boomed off the back of low interest rates, remote working, and an influx in interstate migration following Covid-19 lockdowns.

Core Logic data shows the median sale price for the 10 loudest suburbs for flight noise climbed between $200,000 to $1m from January, 2017 to November last year.

Marcus Beach saw the most growth with a median sale price of $810,000 in December 2017, to $1,890,000 by November last year, rising by $1,080,000 during this period.

Castaways Beach saw the second biggest rise with an increase of $760,000 from $1,020,000 in December 2017 to $1,780,000 in November last year.

Mr Lawler said house prices are expected to maintain their value and continue to rise across the region including areas affected by plane noise despite additional flights planned for the airport in the future.

“About the only thing it might affect now is that instead of having five offers on a property you might have three because a couple of people decided they didn’t like a plane going overhead,” he said.

“But it certainly hasn’t stopped the level of interest overall and that’s been a pleasant surprise for owners that are finding themselves under the flight paths.”

Residents in Mudjimba are bearing the brunt of aeroplane noise which routinely records more than 80 to 90 decibels for passing flights.

Other highly impacted suburbs include Cotton Tree and Marcus Beach while Yandina Creek has seen one of the largest background noise increases from 30 to 50 decibels prior to the new flight paths to in excess of 70 from flyovers.

The runway alignments and flight paths which came into effect in June, 2020 introduced a northern approach for arrival flights and a southern take off for departures over Mudjimba with some flights using the southern path for landing.

Mudjimba resident Terry Cook and his wife purchased their home at Mudjimba Beach in 2008 and have lived there ever since.

Mr Cook said they had not contemplated flight noise becoming an issue when they bought the property until the new routes became active.

“You don’t think just how much of an inconvenience it is until you’re right in bed and think ‘what the hell is that’ and it’s a plane overhead and it sounds like they’ve accelerated right over your house,” he said.

Mudjimba residents are concerned about liveability issues with flight noise in their area. Pictured, Terry Cook. Photo: Patrick Woods.

“We’ve asked to have a curfew on them but there’s no chance that’s going to happen. We really feel in Mudjimba that we’ve just been collateral damage.”

Residents wanting to renovate their properties in the area with an additional room or story are required to comply with A-weighted decibel (dba) limits under Australian Standards AS2021 regulations.

Mudjimba Residents’ Association members reported some residents had spent $50,000 – $100,000 on glazed windows, sound proofed walls and roofs for new and existing homes.

Charles Toms has lived in Mudjimba for about 19 years and claimed some recommendations in the airport’s Environmental Impact Statement which outlines guidelines for the runway plans had not been followed since it became operational.

“People are extremely annoyed that what was in the EIS hasn’t been delivered and the council who played a big part in the processes around the EIS say it’s an airport management responsibility which is nonsense,” Mr Toms said.

Mudjimba resident Charles Toms said the some of the EIS recommendations haven’t been implemented. Photo: Patrick Woods.

“In the EIS, the plan was for planes to land from the north and take off from the south and when the airport opened Airservices Australia came out with their noise abatement procedure which recommended that flights land and take off over Mudjimba, so Mudjimba has twice the number of flights because the original plan in the EIS wasn’t followed and that’s unfair.”

In a statement the Sunshine Coast Council said the airport’s flight paths are determined and managed by Airservices Australia (ASA) and noise complaints are dealt with by Airservices and the airport.

The council did not comment on the Environmental Impact Statement.

A Sunshine Coast Airport spokeswoman said airport management recognises the impact aircraft noise may have on affected suburbs and a number of measures were in place to balance community and operational needs.

“To manage the impact of noise on our community we have mandatory noise abatement procedures, developed Fly Neighbourly Agreements for General Aviation aircraft and over time we have plans to relocate the Aerospace Precinct further away from residential areas,” the spokeswoman said.

“We also have a Community and Aviation Forum for community members and stakeholders to discuss important topics related to the Airport’s operation and development including noise.”

Airservices Australia is conducting a post implementation review of the runway upgrade and said it is reviewing feedback submissions from the community to reduce flight noise.

“Airservices is required by law to prioritise the safe operation of aircraft when designing flight paths and will consider alternatives in line with the Airservices Flight Path Design Principles,” Airservices said.

“Any change would be subject to further environmental assessment and community engagement prior to implementation.”