Safety Worries Delay Court Case On Airport Dev.

Media Release
From: Paraparaumu Airport Coalition

19/4/09

Safety Worries Delay Court Case On
Paraparaumu Airport Development

The Environment Court appeal against Paraparaumu Airport development plans is going to finish at least two months later than expected because of the Court’s concerns about aviation safety.

The Court case, formerly expected to end by mid March, will now reconvene on May 18 to hear expert evidence on aviation safety at the Airport.

Judge Dwyer of the Environment Court requested additional expert safety evidence after concerns were raised by the Paraparaumu Airport Coalition.

The Coalition is appealing against a split decision by the Kapiti Coast Council to approve plans for large-scale commercial buildings at the airport by a group of Auckland developers.

Judge Dwyer, in deciding to call independent evidence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says:

“We do have a responsibility to consider matters of safety, though it is not for us to run the airport in an operational sense, but I think we accept that we have got a general obligation in terms of being satisfied that the new arrangements proposed are safe.”

The Paraparaumu Airport Coalition (PAC)l chairperson, Nick Fisher, says it is pleasing that the Court has rejected the airport company’s submission that these issues were not of relevance under the Resource Management Act.

Up until its closure by the airport company in December last year, Paraparaumu airport had an operational east-west runway, which was used 20% of the time.

The developers’ proposals include an ‘imperative use’ grass runway for emergency landings only.

The Airport Coalition claims this is not long enough for safe operation, and the restrictions on its use decrease safety and viability of the airport.

“No-where else is there such a thing as an ‘imperative use’ runway, for the simple reason that it is not safe,” Mr Fisher said.

The Coalition state in their appeal that the Resource Management Act requires that the safety and wellbeing of the people of Kapiti must be protected, and the proposed plan change does not do this.

The Coalition requested that the scope of the independent evidence be as wide as possible to assess the safety issues relating to the closure of the runway as well as the proposed new arrangement. Mr Fisher was disappointed the terms of reference for the expert from the CAA would be restricted.

PAC has also produced evidence to the Court that the airport business is currently viable and sustainable, and therefore the plan change is not necessary for its continued existence.

In so doing, PAC says that it follows that the land in question is surplus to the requirements of an airport, and therefore must be offered back to the original owners.

It was accepted by all parties that this was not the strict focus of the Environment Court.

But the relationship that the original Maori owners have with their ancestral lands must be duly recognised and provided for in any resource management development.

ENDS

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