The Federal Government announced that the RAAF Base in Point Cook was surplus to Defence requirements back in 2003 and that the base was to be closed completely and the land sold off.
After much protesting this decision was overturned and announced in 2007 by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Peter Lindsay MP.
Fast forward to 2020 and a Defence spokesperson has said that, Defence has requested approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) for 19 buildings to be demolished at RAAF Base Point Cook, while one building – Air Force’s first hangar – is planned to be relocated on base to the RAAF Museum precinct..
All buildings identified for demolition have been assessed at beyond end of life and/or structurally compromised with most in poor to very poor structural condition.
Some buildings were designed for wartime service and were not intended to last. Most buildings have not been in use for multiple decades.
All buildings have been assessed as unsuitable for adaptive reuse.
Demolition of some buildings will remove asbestos and safety hazards, particularly for foreign object debris being blown onto the aircraft runways.
Any decision for approval or otherwise, regarding the proposal to demolish, is for the Minister for the Environment in accordance with the EPBC Act, they said.
These are the buildings put forward for demolition:
The buildings proposed for removal: – Asset 102 Toilet Block – Asset 112 Store – Asset 122 Hazardous Store (NH) – Asset 125 RAAF Standard Hut – Asset 132 Masks Training Facility – Asset 155 RAAF Standard Hut (NH & CH) – Asset 156 RAAF Standard Hut (NH & CH) – Asset 158 RAAF Standard Hut (NH & CH) – Asset 190 WWII Hut (RAAF Standard Hut) (NH & CH) – Asset 203 WWII Hut (RAAF Standard Hut) (NH & CH) – Asset 211 Bellman Hangar (NH & CH) – Asset 212 Bellman Hangar (NH & CH) – Asset 213 Bellman Hangar (NH & CH) – Asset 214 Bellman Hangar (NH & CH) – Asset 218 Toilet Block – Asset 221 Store (NH) – Asset 228 Trainee Sleeping Quarters College (RAAF Standard Hut) (NH & CH) – Asset 243 RAAF College Classroom Block. (NH & CH). – Asset 485 Pt Cook Flying Club (RAAF Standard Hut). (NH & CH)
A map showing all the locations is available here.
The submission states that the demolitions are not part of a staged development or a component of a larger project.
