A masterplan first mooted years ago for an airport that opened in 1973 has finally been adopted.
The first meeting of Central Coast Council in 2025 adopted the masterplan with councillors workshopping the final wording of their approval during a break in proceedings.
Four residents spoke about the airport at the public forum held before the meeting, including Andrew Smith as a representative of the Central Coast Aero Club with at least 20 supporters cheering him on from the public gallery.
Councillor Belinda Neal tried to add some points to the recommendation to adopt the masterplan, including limiting capital spending at the airport and no tree trimming until the biodiversity stewardship agreement (BSA) of the surrounding wetlands was signed.
She also wanted any charges for using the airport to be enough to cover the cost of running the airport.
The airport runs at a loss – last year it was $158,000.
These points were not accepted but councillors did agree to include three new points: that no capital works be spent on the airport without councillor approval; that an update on the finalisation of the BSA be given within 12 months; and that Memos of Understanding be provided to the June meeting showing agreements from the Rural Fire Service wanting to return to the airport and from the University of Newcastle or TAFE wanting to run Bachelor of Aviation programs there.
They also agreed to a workshop to understand what previous decisions were being considered for rescission as well as agreeing to rescind them.
The staging of the Master Plan has been “strategically structured”, the report to the councillors said, with certain actions and projects prioritised to ensure that foundational work is completed before moving on to more complex initiatives.
These foundational works include sorting out the zonings and the subdivisions that apply to different parts of the land, separating the surrounding wetlands from the airport and a biodiversity stewardship agreement.
The works should take about two years.
At that stage, which Council is calling Gateway 1, a further report will be presented to Council for consideration on how to proceed with the remaining implementation actions.
These include options for improving and upgrading the runway, preparing areas for leasing potentially to aviation related businesses and sewer and road works – with all options requiring various amounts of millions of dollars to implement.
Council will evaluate the options at that time, which may include, but are not limited to, decisions on sale, lease or commitment to upgrading works.
“This approach ensures that Council can make informed, strategic decisions based on the progress and results of earlier stages,” the report said.
“For the implementation actions from 1 to 14 leading to Gateway 1, an operational budget of approximately $655,000 over two years will be required.
“Following this de-risking process through the 14 actions will allow Council to make well-informed decisions at Gateway 1, based on a strategically repositioned Airport.”
Future financial decisions regarding the airport’s long-term development and upgrades will come to future Council meetings.
With the airport currently running at a loss, Council is required to use other revenue streams, including rates revenue generated from ratepayers, to subsidise the provision of the infrastructure, Council said.
The report to councillors included the history of the airport.
In March 1977, the NSW Planning and Environment Department developed the first airfield masterplan.
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