Former MP To Chair Big Airport Meeting

The Paraparaumu Airport Coalition says former Otaki MP Judy Keall has agreed to chair a major public meeting in Kapiti on the controversy surrounding plans for major development on airport open space.

The Coalition says it is lucky to have secured the help of Ms Keall, a former chair of the Social Services and Health Select Committee and a junior Labour Whip.

The meeting will be held on Thursday evening (February 15) at the Southwards Car Museum at Paraparaumu.

Just over a week ago, in an unexpected move the Kapiti Coast District Council threw out developer Noel Robinsons plans for major development at the airport.

Councillors said they had not been given details of the major effects of the proposals on local traffic and the environment.

Airport Coalition secretary Mike Woods says:” The meeting looks certain to be very controversial, with many hundreds of people coming from all over the region.”

“There will be important representation from Maori and Pakeha landowners who had the land taken compulsorily, without proper compensation, during the last war,” he says.

“And, after a year of trying, we have finally got Council officials to front up at a public meeting – and they can expect some detailed questioning.” he says.

However, in a statement released earlier, the acting KCDC chief executive, Kevin Jefferies, said he and the Sustainable Development manager, Andrew Guerin, would not be able to discuss the current airport proposals because the developer may be taking an appeal to the Environment Court.

In June last year, the first public meeting on the Airport issue attracted more than 400 people. But no Council officials attended.

The Mayor of Kapiti, Alan Milne, who did not attend the first meeting, says he cannot come to Thursday meeting either, because of another engagement.

The Coalition says it has asked Mr Milne to name dates when he will be available so that they can organise another meeting for local people to question the Mayor about his and the Council’s role in helping Mr Robinson with his development plans.

The Coalition says the proposals mean a huge loss of open space, massive commercial development completely unrelated to aviation, and the loss of the sealed East/West runway.

It also says the development would preclude getting justice for the Maori and Pakeha landowners, who were never compensated as they should have been under the Public Works Act.

“The land these people want to be returned would be covered by massive commercial ‘big box’ developments and lost forever,” he says.

ENDS

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