Sign In / Register
North Shore Aero Club in Dairy Flat is seeking feedback on the refresh of its airport Master Plan with an open morning on Saturday, September 14.
Interest, among Dairy Flat residents in particular, will no doubt be high. Last time the Master Plan was released, in 2020, it coincided with an application for Airport Authority status to support the airport’s growth, which ended up being turned down by the Minister of Transport at the time, Michael Wood, after extensive public consultation, around 500 submissions, the formation of a lobby group and several public meetings.
Opponents of the move to get Airport Authority status were concerned about the potential impact on the community of any expansion of the facility.
Aero club chief executive John Punshon, says the club learned a lot from that process.
“We listened and will approach it differently,” he says. “Last time we didn’t consult on our original Masterplan, and we probably should have.”
He says that approach will extend to any application made for Airport Authority status (now known as Registered Airport Operator status), which could be made next year.
Last time, public consultation on that application was front-footed by the Ministry of Transport, as required under the legislation, but Punshon says this time the club will conduct a further round of consultation before any application is made.
He says the Master Plan is an attempt to deal with the urbanisation that the Auckland Unitary Plan and related planning documents have earmarked to take place around the airport’s perimeter.
The document says there is very high potential for the encroachment of uses incompatible with the airport, right next door to the facility, curtailing its current operations.
With this in mind, the Master Plan says the aero cub is liaising with council, adjoining landowners and utility providers.
“Commitment remains from all parties to recognize the value of the airport,” it says.
Punshon says the new plan is a “tweaked and updated” version of the earlier one, but essentially similar, focused on issues of safety and use, and how the airport will interact in future with the community and environment surrounding it and continue to grow, remain relevant and sustainable.
He says the “bigger and grander plans to elevate the airport into part of the wider regional transport network” are conceptual.
“The important thing is that this is driven by the changes around us,” he says. “We are 10 years down the track from the Unitary Plan and 15 years or more away from development on the doorstep, but we are seeing changes. We have the same uncertainty as the rest of the locals, so we are trying to safeguard our position and make the facility a more valuable resource for everybody. I appreciate not everyone sees the airport as a benefit, but we have to try and understand how to provide the most value overall.”
Consultation on the North Shore Aero Club’s airport Master Plan began last week with the circulation of flyers. There will be a drop in session at the club on Saturday, September 14, from 9.30am to 12.30pm so anyone interested can find out more.
Submissions can be made by emailing massterplan@nsac.co.nz or writing to the airport at 260 Postman Road, RD4 Albany, Auckland 0794.
Submissions must be in by September 29, at 5pm. The refreshed plan is at www.northshoreairport.co.nz/masterplan/
