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Post by Bruce on Jul 5, 2007 10:31:03 GMT 12
Waihi beach airfield has been sold recently and the new owner has given notice to the Hangar tennants (a good flock of Microlight / GA flyers) to vacate the site as it is to be redeveloped. The airfield and cafe will remain but the current hnagar and parking area is being turnned into a gated residential community (an airpark of sorts). eventually there will be new hangars built (at increased rental) but this will be a way down the track yet.  To add interest, council permits have been issued to build a new shopping centre development off the northern end of the airfield. The council plan recognises the airfield, but how long before someone objects to aircraft noise? Seen it all before......  |
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Post by Bruce on Jul 5, 2007 13:25:44 GMT 12
further info just to hand indicates the northern development will be a retirement village rather than a retail centre. The other thing, a bit better news is that the local council wish to build a new grass runway, longer (1000m) than the existing North - south runway, aligned East west (better suited to the prevailing breeze) using a lot of additional fill to resolve the ever present issues with drainage that the current strip suffers from (it is currently closed due to a soft surface - the RAAF know all about that.....). The existing runway will be where the new hangars are built. The bad news, and where there is a certain amount of concern, is that this is a later phase of development and subject to the the resource management act. By the time the get around to that the people in the new retirement village and the gated community could moan about aircraft noise and get the whole thing shut down......
So the airstrip isnt totally lost, however the character and the great little community of sport flyers who currently "live" there has gone - hopefully not forever.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Jul 5, 2007 16:27:37 GMT 12
Hopefully they can sort through this and save the airfield from the PC sound brigades. Only been to Waihi Beach a few times, each time it was boggy and wet, so a redevelopment of the runway at least could be a good thing.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 7, 2007 12:16:11 GMT 12
That law that forced the ruling that has just overturned the ridiculous complaint about the church bell must surely apply to airfields too, as it was based on the fact of lomgevity of the noise in the area. GA aircraft aren't that noisy anyway and if the homes are built properly they should be ok.
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Post by corsair67 on Jul 7, 2007 13:11:41 GMT 12
As I've said before while some morons are up for banning aircraft noise, can I please add squawking/crying/whining children to the list of noise polution? They have far more impact on my life than a few minutes of aeroplane noise ever does. ;D
Hopefully this all works out okay for Waihi airfield. If the gated community is a true airpark-type arrangement then this may work out to be a great solution to the whole issue, as the people in the gated community who own the aeroplanes on the airfield are hardly going to complain about aircraft noise. For example, The Temora Shire Council have developed an airpark where you build a hangar and a house at Temora Airport, and this seems to be selling quite well; so there's no reason the same thing wouldn't work for somewhere like Waihi.
However I do have a bad feeling about the impact the retirement village may have on the airfield, or if the gated community doesn't end up being a true airpark arrangement.
If things go pear-shaped, is there anywhere viable nearby that could be made into a new airfield, with local Council support and approval?
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Jul 7, 2007 18:36:39 GMT 12
Only a matter of time before Waihi Beach is all built out,sadly we all want to live by the beach.
But we don't want noisy aeroplanes flying overhead.Theres a topdressing strip about a mile due west of Waihi Beach airstrip running E/W maybe they should go and have a yarn with the farmer.
Also general aviation aircraft are going to have to address the problem of noisy aircraft over urban areas sooner rather than later.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 8, 2007 13:32:29 GMT 12
I don't understand why if the airport has been sold to a private owner, why is the council planning to build a new runway? Do they retain part shares in the airport?
I can't foresee a problem with the retirement home - most of the residents will be deaf anyway I'd think.
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