The NSW Government is planning to introduce legislation in September to implement the recommendations of an independent review of the Warnervale Airport (Restrictions) (WAR) Act 1996.
The Act imposes restrictions on the future development and operation of Central Coast Airport at Warnervale, which is owned and operated by Central Coast Council.
NSW Planning Public Spaces Minister, Rob Stokes, said last week that the government supported all recommendations in the report including repeal of the Act, that safety issues affecting the runway be addressed and that Council adopt a clear framework to govern the airport’s future management.
Council says it is now reviewing the recommendations in detail and will respond to the impacts of this on Council’s operational management of the airport.
Mayor, Lisa Matthews, said that Council could only operate the airport under the legislative environment that the State Government had set.
“I want to emphasise that Council does not make the laws about the operation of this community owned asset,” she said.
“Council must and does adhere to the State legislation that governs Warnervale Airport and this includes the current flight cap limits.
“Minister Rob Stokes has publicly notified that this part of the Act is proposed to be repealed, and once that is done, Council will respond to the legislation in its management of the airport.” the Mayor said.
She said the airport management includes safety of the runway and Council has measures in place to ensure that airport users are aware of all conditions for runway use.
Trimming the height of trees, particularly on the approach to the landing strip, has caused safety concerns for pilots.
“Council is continuing to look at long term options to reduce the vegetation hazard and is required to comply with other State legislation to do this.
“The report acknowledges that Council is keenly aware of this and cannot just remove the vegetation without appropriate approval.”
Four councillors have given Notice of a Motion to Monday night’s August 10 meeting calling on Council to provide a comprehensive and publicly available report around expediting the three main recommendations of the review and, in particular, the critical issue of airport safety with regard to runway access.
In their Notice of Motion, Crs Greg Best, Bruce McLachlan, Rebecca Gale and Jilly Pilon, also highlighted the urgent need to develop an airport operational plan.
They are calling on Council to note the number of former airport related resolutions which refer to being “consistent with the WAR Act and now that the WAR Act will be extinguished, these motions and/or staff direction will need to be re-crafted and form part of the staff report”.
The Notice of Motion also calls on the CEO, Gary Murphy, “in the spirit of transparency and accountability, to also report to Council on what actions and legal mechanisms are available to declassify the confidential documents revealing to ratepayers exactly how much the AAI Contract Extinguishment cost, including the lost opportunity costs around 17 formal Expressions of Interest developed by staff over many years, that were also extinguished”.
Meanwhile, Council’s confidential review of Central Coast Airport was taken off the agenda of its July 27 meeting in favour of a councillor briefing to be held first.
This review is about key decisions made over past years about the airport, and Phase One was presented to Council in a confidential report in November 2019.
The context of Phase One was to understand the timeline, documentation and different roles individuals played in the decision making for establishing a regional airport at Kiar Ridge; the development of an aviation hub at the airport; any activities including works and development applications lodged by the current Council or former Wyong Council relating to works at the airport site; and, processes and decision making related to the airport and Wyong Employment Zone.
Phase Two set out to: understand the different roles that individuals played in the decision making, the process and document the background; investment decision processes; due diligence processes; and to learn from these events to better inform future decisions on the airport.
An expected outcome of Phase Two is a detailed timeline of the decision making associated with the four projects covered in Phase One, and a report identifying any areas of concern requiring more detailed investigation.
The confidential Phase Two report is again on the agenda for the August 10 Council meeting.
Consultant costs, for just Phase Two of the Central Coast Airport Review, was $61,000, and this does not include Council staff time and costs of the public submission platform, as this was absorbed in current operational budgets.
Sue Murray