With Brisbane Airport on the brink of undergoing significant flight path changes, implications for both quality of life and investment prospects sit at the forefront of local residents’ minds.
As featured in Homely on January 13th, 2025.
The anticipated alterations—as part of broader efforts to optimise air traffic management—have raised concerns for increased noise pollution in certain areas. As such, the future of Brisbane real estate is in question. Though is it truly at risk?
Director and lead buyers agent of Lauren Jones Buyers Agency, Lauren Jones, has become acutely aware of rising local anxiety. “Colleagues, friends and clients alike have shared with me their concern for the desirability and value of prospective properties. Ultimately, I don’t believe the changes will impact buyers’ views of the suburbs at risk, or their desirability.”
“Living in a suburb at risk myself, I believe its high-quality liveability and lifestyle opportunities will greatly outweigh some added flight noise,” Lauren adds.
After 15 years in the making, Brisbane sported its new, accompanying runway on July 12th, 2020. The project was a necessary counteraction to the detriment of an expected passenger number increase to 50 million by 2035 due to statewide and national population growth. With its official opening, doors opened for Queensland’s international interconnectedness, as well as for some changes to be made to Brisbane’s flight paths. Inner Brisbane now faces a worrying spike in noise pollution.
The top ten suburbs at risk are as listed below:
- Balmoral
- Hemmant
- Cannon Hill
- Pinkenba
- Hawthorne
- Hamilton
- Seven Hills
- Ascot
- Bulimba
- New Farm
Air Services Australia are responsible for deciding the five flight path options that are currently undergoing evaluation by local residents. They assure that the changes to Brisbane flight paths have been proposed with the aim of “sharing” noise pollution over a greater portion of the city, rather than having it concentrated—and thus overbearing—in certain areas.
It is important to note that the Brisbane Airport is situated 6 kilometres from residential housing. In comparison to other airports across Australia, this is quite the distance. For instance, Cairns, Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coasts’ airports are situated only 600 metres from residential housing.
But will Brisbane’s property market be impacted by changing flight paths?
Since 2013, a study led by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has analysed the impact of plane noise in regard to demand for location and capital growth potential in Brisbane. Commissioned by the BAC, the long-term investigation was established in response to rising local concern. The report, titled ‘Impact of Aircraft Noise on Brisbane Residential Property Sectors’ provides a thorough report on the implications of aircraft noise within 53 Brisbane suburbs at risk of sharing their air with flight paths. It has been made palpably clear through this study that, historically, suburbs with higher levels of aircraft noise pollution have performed just as well on Brisbane’s property market as those with low levels.
Currently investigating over three decades of Brisbane property sales data, the report is updated annually by original authors Professor Chris Eves (RMIT) and Dr Andrea Blake (QUT).
So, while the upcoming changes to Brisbane’s flight paths have sparked a mild panic among residents and property investors alike, the overall impact on property values may be less significant than feared. As Brisbane continues to grow and evolve, areas affected by increased aircraft noise could still maintain their appeal due to more prominent features, including their lifestyle and liveability.
Lauren reassures, “From my experience, buyers are never deterred from those sectors due to their strong community feel and amenities, despite the possibility of flight noise.”
With historical data backing up the remaining stability of property performance in noise-affected areas, the long-term outlook for Brisbane’s real estate market remains positive.