Airport anxiety

The future and integrity of Horsham aerodrome is again in the planning spotlight with Horsham Rural City Council voting to further explore circumstances surrounding the asset.

The council voted at a meeting on Monday night to ask technical services director John Martin for an updated status report on a 2016 draft Horsham Aerodrome Master Plan.

The decision followed extensive debate. The council also voted for staff to provide a strategic report on future planning for the aerodrome.

Cr John Robinson sparked debate by moving the council ‘take immediate steps to protect the ongoing operation and development’ of the aerodrome. While he won general philosophical support from the council, he failed to gain consensus based on key elements of his motion.

Cr Robinson, who has an extensive background in emergency services, urged the council to protect the aerodrome by –

1. Ensuring overlays were in place to protect runway length extension to 2000 metres to the south and to the east and protect vertical airspace that provided for precision instrument approach by aircraft on all runways.

2. Any new use or development that could prejudice the safety or efficiency of the airfield is precluded, or prevented from happening.

3. Take detrimental effects of aircraft operations, such as noise, into account in regulating and restricting the use and development of affected land.

4. Preclude any new use or development that could prejudice future extensions to existing airfield or aeronautical operations in accordance with an approved plan for that airfield.

Cr Robinson based his motion on ‘community concern about aerodrome operations in the face of planning activities, which the council had discussed at length’.

In prepared notes, he wrote that planning activities, based on Horsham Planning Scheme Amendment C72 Horsham Bypass Public Acquisition Overlay, had lapsed but a future application might again impact the airport.

“National and state mandates protect airports from inappropriate developments and Horsham Planning Scheme also provides us with specific direction,” he wrote.

He also spoke to his motion, stressing safety dangers of leaving the aerodrome ‘vulnerable’ and a need ‘to put the wheels in motion’.

While Cr David Grimble seconded the motion, others, including Crs Mark Radford and Les Power said they agreed with points two, three and four but had issues with point one.

Much of their anxiety was based on extending the runway to the south towards Horsham, a concern Cr Robinson dismissed as an aerodrome procedural matter. Debate also revealed concerns about the depth of council understanding of aerodrome technical issues.

In a split vote, Mayor Pam Clarke did not support the motion, saying there was need for a fresh review.