Queenstown and Wānaka airport expansion strategy grounded again
Monday, 26 August 2019
A major Queenstown Airport shareholder has rejected the organisations growth goals for the third time in a year, amid community backlash over possible expansion.
In a rare move, the Queenstown Lakes District Council voted 7-4 to reject the annual Statement of Intent (SOI) on Monday.
The statement is the airport corporation's governing document and the only way the council – the majority shareholder – can influence the strategic direction on behalf of the community.
It has been approved with little discussion in recent years, but growing discontent over unconstrained growth in visitor numbers has led to strong resistance to the corporation's growth goals.
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Fears the airport would be able to expand noise boundaries in Queenstown or begin scheduled jet flights in Wānaka were expressed by some of the 70-strong crowd at Monday's meeting.
'The Upper Clutha community that we represent is dead against what you are doing,' Wanaka Stakeholders Group deputy chairman Mark Sinclair said.
Health advocate Marion Poore spoke of the health and environmental effects the airport was having on the community and the fear they would be transferred to Wanaka.
'It seems to me that the limits of tolerance for growth at any cost have been reached in this community.'
Queenstown resident Kirsty Sharpe called for the airport board to make a change in direction, to include community representatives and put on cap on noise boundaries.
Cath Gilmour announced the newly formed Protect Queenstown would join with the Wanaka Stakeholders Group to seek a judicial review if the council supported the proposed SOI.
The council first rejected the SOI in March, calling for the airport to rewrite sections.
As public discontent grew mayor Jim Boult, a former chief executive of Christchurch Airport, declared a 'fresh approach' at the council's August meeting.
He promised the council would not consider or accept any change to Queenstown Airport's air noise boundaries or allow further development of commercial services at Wānaka until economic impact, social impact and sustainability reviews had been completed.
On Monday, he reiterated that intention and told councillors his email inbox was peppered with people who supported the SOI.
'Many of them feel intimidated to make any comment. There is an enormous amount of opinion out there.'
Councillor Ross McRobie said the SOI was an interim document as there would be a new one in March 2020.
Councillor Alexa Forbes led the opposition, claiming the SOI read as an intent for growth numbers and revenue.
'At an absolute minimum the airport needs to be planning for what happens when it reaches its noise boundaries. Where is the plan for that?'
Airport chief executive Colin Keel said the airport expected to reach its Queenstown noise boundaries within three years.
Forbes said there was also no mention of the concerns over Wānaka being set up as the overflow for Queenstown passenger numbers.
Neither matter made the list of the airport's strategic priorities, she said.
'They are critical issues that need nothing more than to be included in the work stream as intent.'
Seven councillors voted to reject the SOI and called for the airport corporation to revise again and present it to the council's October meeting.
All of the 10 councillors and the mayor supported the council's plan to halt any changes to noise boundaries at Queenstown Airport or the development of commercial services at Wānaka Airport until an independent economic impact assessment, social impact assessment and Queenstown Airport Sustainability Review were completed.