Issue 132 December 19, 2017
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Councillors want to consult with the community over the airport C
ouncillor Greg Best, with the support of Clrs Bruce McLachlan and Jilly Pilon, planned to overturn the resolution made by Council at its November meeting, to suspend works and stop further development at the Central Coast Airport.
The three Councillors lodged a Rescission Motion, in an attempt to reverse a motion put by Clr Doug Vincent and adopted by Central Coast Council, at its ordinary meeting in Wyong, on November 27. The Rescission Motion was to be debated at the final ordinary Council meeting for 2017, in the Gosford Chamber on Monday, December 18. Rather than debate a recommendation from staff, that would have resulted in the public exhibition of a draft Central Coast Aviation Hub Concept Plan and supporting documents, Clr Vincent put an alternative motion. As a result, Council resolved to fully support the Warnervale Airport Restrictions Act (WAR Act) (1996). The adopted motion also resolved that Council would not approve any development at the Warnervale Airport which is not consistent with the WAR Act (1996), and that Council would not immediately extend or
Three Councillors called for the decision to stop work on the airport expansion to be reversed remove the current 1,196 meeting for approval of fundamental obligation asset servicing some metre runway. the strategy. to consult with its 350,000 coast residents The Council also Council also resolved community and that this and that, it is with understanding, resolved not to alter the to maintain the current corner stone of good this Council now position, length, width, site zoning, unaltered, governance is enshrined that engages formally with thickness or strength and not approve rezoning in regulation.” of the current runway, to SP2. Clr Best’s motion also its community for the and immediately to called upon his fellow first time on this issue The resolution was also suspend all works, intended to permanently Councillors to note that through an independently land acquisitions and protect all of the Porters community consultation conducted, statistically expenditure on the Creek Wetland, owned had been a principle valid, survey seeking and better Central Coast Airport, by Council, and south that was of significant direction except where those of the current runway, community interest and a u n d e r s t a n d i n g community works are required by from development for key contributor in the lead on law, or the suspension biodiversity, emergency up to the 2017 Council expectations.” of those works would drinking water supply and elections. If Clr Best’s motion put Council in breach protection of the water was adopted, prior to Clr Best was on the of existing contractual quality into the Tuggerah former Wyong Council, conducting any such obligations and/or Lakes Estuary. process, which held the majority consultation expose Council to claims all survey questions At the December of its discussions about for damages or variation 18 meeting, Clr Best its future plans for the would be the subject of under any such contract. planned to move that airport in confidential a full Council briefing Council also voted the resolution carried sessions, and did not with selected survey on November 27 to at the previous ordinary release key documents specialists. reallocate the budget for meeting be rescinded. into the public domain. Subject to the the Airport of $6 million to survey Clr Best’s motion called independent Should the rescission employment generating motion have been carried, for the new Central Coast results, Council would projects across the Clrs Best, McLachlan Council to “recognise formally reconsider its former Wyong Shire, with and Pilon then intended that the new Central position with a view to staff to prepare a strategy to move a motion “that Coast Airport is of exhibiting the current and report to Council by Council recognises its regional significance and Central Coast draft airport the February 12, 2018, is now an infrastructure masterplan, or move for
a total cessation of all uncontracted activities/ obligations at the airport. Prior to the meeting, Clr Kyle MacGregor said: “I think the motion at the last meeting was pretty unequivocal and well in line with what has been happening, and I think the original motion should stand and not be rescinded.” He said he believed Council needed to release the 2013 report that “talked about the industrial use of the land” which has never been made public. “I’d say that the best thing to do is to have things out in the open and made public, and if someone is not adhering to that, you have to consider why and what is their motivation,” Clr MacGregor said of the secrecy with which the former Wyong Council had made decisions about the airport. “The airport was one of the first things that people in the area raised with me, well before the election, and people were not in favour of it,” he said. “As I said at the last meeting, the only real support for the airport seems to be coming from inside the [Council] building.
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Source: Agenda item 8.1, Dec 18 Central Coast Council ordinary meeting Interview, Dec 15 Kyle MacGregor, Central Coast Council Interview, Dec 12 Greg Best, Central Coast Council Jackie Pearson, journalist