Appeals presented against the Nelson Airport Track Plan

By Max FretheyLocal democracy reports

The plan to extend the track of the Nelson Airport has faced a generalized community opposition and has now been appealed.
Photo: Provided/original

The future extension of the Nelson airport track reached some turbulence last week.

The private plan of the airport to allow the extension was appealed to the Environment Court by three Tāhunanui organizations, while the expectation that the airport improves its relationship with the surrounding community was discussed by the two councils of the region.

It was announced last Tuesday that Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park, Nelson Golf Club and the Association of Business and Citizens of Tāhunanui have appealed separately the Appeal Plan separately 30.

The operations of the holiday park and the golf club would be severely interrupted by the airport’s plans, while the Community Association fears the impact that the plan will have on the broader suburb.

The executive director of Holiday Park, David Pattinson, said that the change of the plan was “unsustainable” for the camp.

The park has spent almost half a million dollars challenging the change of the plan and will now face additional costs appealing.

It cost Community Group Save The Maitai around $ 350,000 to appeal the change of private plan 28 in the last appeal of the Environmental Court based in Nelson.

“I am extremely frustrated thinking about what I could have done with that money constructively for the park,” Pattinson said.

“However, when you face an event that will end us, we have no choice but to appeal.”

Updated plans to enable the extension of the track have opposed in part due to concerns on generalized impacts on the Tāhunanui suburb.
Photo: City Hall supplied/Nelson

He said that the new “onerous” construction restrictions would make it “difficult, if not impossible” to develop the camp and that would leave them unable to meet the future demands of visitors.

In addition, I was concerned about the future of the long -term residents of the camp, which provide “significant” income for the park, despite the guarantees of the Council that would not be evicted.

The park is currently in conversations with the airport, but Pattinson said that “there was still no significant progress.”

“I think there is a solution to have.”

Nelson Golf Club general manager, Tony Watkins, said the club’s appeal was a “consequent” until airport guarantees.
Photo: MAX FRETHEY / LDR

Nelson Golf Club general manager, Tony Watkins, said his appeal was a “position marker.”

The club has indicated that the airport plan would not be opposed, with the longest track occupying half of the club’s land, if it could reconfigure its 18 holes championship course in an adjacent peninsula, partly owned by the airport and the Council of the City of Nelson.

“We don’t have the comfort that we are currently completely covered.”

Designs have been completed that reconfiguration was feasible.

However, Watkins said the club has not yet received written guarantees from the airport, since an aeronautical report was still waiting for its grass track to continue operating if the golf course reconfigured.

The club also wanted guarantees that the airport would cover the cost of reconfiguration, currently estimated at $ 60-80 million, including $ 15-20 million for the protection of erosion in the low peninsula, before the Public Works Law was reworking.

“A report has been made to say that much of that will be dragged if there was an important event,” Watkins said.

“It would be a nonsense to accept moving there unless there was some mitigation in its place.”

If the club obtained the guarantees he wanted and did not stay worse than he was currently, he would withdraw his appeal.

“Everything we want, as of today, is a guarantee that we will get exactly what we have now, and it will not cost us anything.”

Watkins understood that the appeal hearing would be scheduled in approximately nine months, and had “hopes” that the club could reach an agreement with the airport.

The executive president of Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park, David Pattinson, said that the change of the plan was “unsustainable” for the camp.
Photo: MAX FRETHEY / LDR

A statement from the Business and Citizens Association of Tāhunanui said he presented his appeal because the change of the plan “provided the security and well -being” of the suburb.

The association said that it supports positive growth and change, but the impacts of the airport plan as it was currently was too large.

“The appeal gives Tāhunanui a voice in the process.”

Nelson City Council will respond to the appeal in the Environment Court. Both IT and Nelson airport declined to comment on the appeals.

The change of the plan was accompanied by a requirement notice that together would allow the extension of the track to continue.

Appeals on the requirement notice close on March 31 and, if any were presented, they would be answered by the airport, and the board potentially joined as part.

It cost the Council $ 133,000 to respond to the appeal of plan change.

Appeals occur when the advice of Nelson and Tasman, both shareholders of 50 percent of the airport, have indicated their intention that the organization improves its relationship with the community.

On Thursday, the two tips discussed, including the requirement that Holdings Limited Infrastructure (DIH), the company holding the Nelson and Port Nelson airport, must take into account the interests of the community in their declaration of intention.

The Business and Citizens Association of Tāhunanui, the Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park and the Nelson Airport Noise Action Council indicated their support for the clause at the joint meeting due to their concerns with the airport, although it would also apply to the port.

The chosen members declined to include the clause in the declaration of intention due to the procedural concerns and the potential to be used to justify the legal challenges against the IHL and its subsidiaries.

However, they supported the inclusion of said clause in the next declaration of expectation for financial year 2026/27, which would not lead to the same legal weight, but would have the progress towards the meeting that the expectations were regularly informed to the chosen members.

The advice of Nelson and Tasman have indicated that they want Nelson airport to continue improving their relationship with the community.
Photo: MAX FRETHEY / LDR

Meanwhile, the two mayors of the region will write to DIH, with the airport and the copied port, to advise them that they hope to work to improve their relationship with the community immediately.

The indications at the joint meeting on Thursday suggested that the airport was already working for that goal, and the president of Holiday Park, Steve Cross, said the airport seemed to be trying to “build bridges” with the community.

“Although, until now, Oliva branches have not translated into significant actions.”

The mayor of Nelson, Nick Smith, said that organizations already met to repair the relations, and that the letter and the future addition to the declaration of expectation indicated the support of the advice to continue that course of action.

“I really think there is a great will of all these organizations to make a change in the step (their relationships).”

The local democracy report is the local journalism of the body co -financed by RNZ and NZ in the air.