Quiet skies – why Gungahlin needs an airport curfew
Written by Alan Kerlin Monday, 08 June 2009 00:00
GCC has been campaigning to keep the day and night-time skies quiet over Gungahlin.
As the picture shows, there are already many flights passing over Gungahlin and, if the Canberra Airport owners have their way, these flights will include many airfreight movements in the ‘wee hours’ of the mornings.
Flight tracks for northerly departures for one quarter 2008
Red line is the current Noise Abatement Area boundary
Through partnering with the community coalition Curfew 4 Canberra, participating in numerous meetings about airport noise and operations, and our comprehensive submissions to the airport’s draft master plans last year and now, we have been pursuing the long-term goal of maintaining a quiet Gungahlin – especially during sleeping hours.
Flawed laws
The legislation governing airports requires the airport operator to conduct the entire master plan consultation process – drafting, consultation, receipt of submissions, and redrafting to mitigate concerns raised in submissions. To expect completely objective handling of such a process by the proponent (a private business) is quite unreasonable – the inherent conflict of interest is unavoidable. It’s akin to allowing major development proponents to self-certify. How would the Airport management feel if Bob Winnell was assessing his own Tralee rezoning application? GCC calls on the Australian Government to overhaul the Airports Act to introduce master plan assessment conducted by the government.
Respite curfew needed
GCC, along with numerous other Canberra community groups, believe that airport operations should be subject to a form of curfew that would guarantee the public a nightly period of respite from jet aircraft noise. This is especially important given the airport are planning to start a ‘freight hub’ that would bring numerous jet flights in and out between 11 pm and 2 am every night. Such a curfew should be established sooner rather than later, firstly because it is far easier to achieve earlier, secondly because it would give all related businesses complete certainty to invest in airport-related operations without concern about the ‘goalposts being shifted’ at some point in time.
Noise Abatement Area changes
We proposed changes to the Noise Abatement Area to encompass all of North Canberra and Gungahlin (including future suburbs). We are pleased to see the airport now supports our position, despite their previous opposition to it, but call for legislation changes to lock in the NAA requirements to give the community certainty.
Commercial expansion
We object to further retailing and commercial developments at the airport that are not directly related to the airport’s aeronautical endeavours. It undermines the sound town centre planning, and it has already had a direct and adverse impact on the economic and social development of the Gungahlin town centre.
Sydney airport ‘wannabe’
The draft Master Plan proposes that Sydney’s second airport should be in Canberra, with high-speed rail linking it back to Sydney. GCC contends that Canberra is too far from Sydney to serve that function. Further, this would be a major off-loading of Sydney noise onto the Canberra community, which would be unwarranted and would be largely unrewarded – except for the airport owners.
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