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Transport Minister Michael Wood has decided not to make a recommendation to the Governor General that would give North Shore Aero Club the powers it says it needs to expand.
North Shore Aero club, which owns the airport in Dairy Flat, applied for Airport Authority status in 2020 and a public meeting in Dairy Flat, and around 500 submissions, followed.
Airport Authority status gives the airport powers, including making bylaws and compulsory acquisition of land. The proposal was opposed by a large number of residents, because of the potential for expansion of the airport.
The application and submissions have been on the Minister’s desk since October 2021, awaiting his decision.
To help him formulate that decision the Minister heard the issues face to face at a second public meeting, held on May 14 in Albany, and then requested further information from the Ministry of Transport.
In a statement on August 9, a spokesperson for Minister Wood said that he is not convinced that granting Authority status to the airport would be a helpful addition to the transport network in general and the aviation network in particular.
“There also remain unresolved questions about what future requirements could be were the airport to grow; and sufficient consultation between the airport and the community had not occurred,” the spokesperson said.
Opponents of the application included members of the Dairy Flat Land Owners Group. Its chair, Brian Sutton, says the decision is a win for the community.
“It’s been a long haul to get this far, and stressful for property owners,” Sutton says.
He says once the decision was made public, early this month, the community shifted its focus onto the Auckland Council Draft Spatial Land Use Strategy for Dairy Flat and Silverdale Future Urban Zones, which closed for public submissions last week.
“The proposed plan incorporates potential expansion of the airfield – that will need to be closely reviewed as part of the feedback process,” Sutton says.
North Shore Aero Club chief executive and general manager, John Punshon, says the club is still evaluating things, so does not wish to comment at this stage.
