Dogfight over airport land plans

A major Paraparaumu land owner has been called out for trying to stifle the commercial development of the local airport land.

A judge has struck out a court case trying to challenge planning changes that opened the way for more shops in the Ka¯ piti Coast Airport zone.

He said that a company behind Coastlands shopping mall had a pattern of behaviour of trying to interfere with the development of a trade competitor, Ka¯ piti Coast Airport Holdings Ltd.

The airport company had obtained a plan change from Ka¯ piti Coast District Council so it could move ahead with developing a master plan for about 80 hectares around the airport at Paraparaumu.

The change could open the way for a supermarket or supermarkets, more than one large store, a department store, and housing but they would still need resource consent as either discretionary or non-complying activities.

Previously, the District Plan banned department stores, supermarkets, and other large stores in the airport zone.

The owner of the Coastlands shopping mall, Sheffield Properties Ltd, opposed the change but Ka¯piti Coast District Council approved it and Sheffield did not appeal.

But then Sheffield asked to have a High Court judge review the decision.

In a decision issued this week, the airport company and the council succeeded in having the review application struck out.

Justice Peter Churchman said Sheffield had the chance to appeal against the council’s decision but elected not to, so in the resource management field it was precluded from asking for judicial review.

The airport company had claimed Sheffield, along with its sister company Coastlands, was engaging in ‘‘sharp practice’’ by trying to delay developing the airport land.

Coastlands had appealed against the council’s planning decisions, including on the airport zone.

No date has been set in the Environment Court for hearing that appeal.