AIRPORT NOISE BOUNDARY SUBMISSION and PETITION
Aug 18, 2018
The deadline for feedback on QAC's plans to triple current scheduled flight numbers is looming - this coming Monday. The impacts of this would go far beyond just noise - and far beyond the expanded noise boundaries. And bottom line is, this decision should be our community's, led by an informed Council that is listening to us - not by QAC.
QAC’s plans would have profound effects on all Wakatipu residents - and our visitors - especially living the outdoors lifestyle that so many of us came here to enjoy. Imagine sitting at Frankton Beach, walking or biking our fabulous tracks, having a barbecue, reading your book, gardening or having a quiet conversation over a glass of wine when an aeroplane takes off or lands every four minutes, as they would during peak hours. Frankton Beach and Frankton Arm would certainly lose their magic. Especially as peak hours would include Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
There would be other major downstream effects - traffic congestion; huge loss of sunny and flat land to potential development; loss of individual property rights of 3000 more landowners; higher housing costs to meet QAC noise insulation demands, health problems, impacts on learning for our high school, primary school and preschool students under the flight path… to name just some .
What about the role Wanaka Airport - managed and leased by QAC - could play? What of Mayor Boult's recently announced 2050 Vision? Surely both are integral to the best solution - but the horse would have already bolted if QAC expansion plans gets council’s okay first.
What can you do to help make sure our community rather than QAC is in the driver seat on these huge decisions?
Some suggestions below. We have until the end of Monday, August 20.
- Sign this petition; http://unbouncepages.com/queenstown-airport-proposed-noise-change/
- Respond to QAC's survey, making sure you put your main reasons in the text box as these will be forwarded to Council: https://our.queenstownairport.com/noise-planning/survey_tools/noise-planning-submissions - and send a copy of your submission to services@qldc.govt.nz, asking them to forward it to all councillors and the Mayor.
- If you would like to read some more, here is Debbie Jamieson's excellent article; https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/105768339/Its-crunch-time-for-Queenstown-let-tourist-numbers-double-or-shut-the-gate
- And Cr Alexa Forbes' informative blog: https://alexaforbes59.wordpress.com/
Also attached is a copy of the KPCA petition page, if you would like to take this around your neighbours/friends/supermarkets/wherever that digital media might not reach. Please note the mailbox and email addresses to get these back to by Sunday night.
This is something worth doing. We need an informed community discussion to work out the Queenstown we want to live in and hand on to coming generations.
Cheers
Cath Gilmour
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