Gungahlin news

News - Airport

GCC has been campaigning to keep the day and night-time skies quiet over Gungahlin.

News - Airport

The Federal Minister for Transport Anthony Albanese has given the Canberra International Airport (CIA) a big "F" for fail on their ambitious Master Plan.

Getting particular attention from the Minister was the Airport's plans to turn it into a 24/7 freight hub, with seemingly little regard for the noise impacts on Canberra residents.

Summing up the situation beautifully was the Canberra Times cartoonist:

News - Airport

Not content to wait until after the ACT election on 18 October, the ACT Greens are already active in pursuing a key campaign issue for the Gungahlin Community Council - a curfew for the Canberra Airport.

Greens leader Bob Brown has tabled a motion in the Federal Government Senate, to be debated on October 13, calling for the 11pm-6am curfew for Canberra, citing how well they worked in Sydney, Coolangatta, Essendon and Adelaide.

When GCC reps met a few weeks ago with Greens candidates Shane Rattenbury and Meredith Hunter, we pointed out that the airport curfew was a key concern, even though aircraft noise is not a significant issue for Gungahlin - yet.

We explained that it is far easier to get this sort of thing in place early in the piece, rather than years later, when various businesses have invested heavily in infrastructure and business development - points we argued previously in our submission to the Canberra Airport Master Plan review.

News - Airport

To their credit the ACT Greens have got the issue of a curfew for the Canberra Airport onto the national agenda. They have had Senator Bob Brown put the issue in the Senate.

Unfortunately, as reported in the Canberra Times, the Federal Government's Senator Stephen Conroy has attempted to put dampers on the idea, saying that a curfew is not needed.

But Senator Conroy is getting poor advice. The issue is not that Canberra has sufficient aircraft traffic and noise to need a curfew now. The issue is that it is a whole lot easier to put a curfew in place now when traffic levels and (more importantly) investment levels are at low levels, then further down the track when these issues are at bed levels.

News - Airport

We have a new federal government, but it seems some things just don't change...

The Canberra Times has reported that the Federal Government has approved yet another office development at the airport - this time at "Majura Park - that is, next to Brand Depot.

This time, it's another 1000 jobs going to the airport precinct - jobs that otherwise could have been located in Gungahlin, up to 2000 more car movements on already choked roads.

News - Airport

When Curfew 4 Canberra's campaign for a curfew at Canberra Airport came up in the ACT Legislative Assembly following a well-patronised public forum hosted by the Green's Deb Foskey, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope's assessment was - to say the least - extraordinary.

He dismissed the umbrella group as primarily residents of Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan and Wamboin, with only four Canberrans present. His claims were just plain wrong - of roughly 80 attendees at that meeting, 59
signed a petition, with 45 of them giving Canberra addresses.

Apart from that, the disdain he appeared to hold for the goals of Curfew 4 Canberra was atrocious. The group is pursuing a positive and balanced outcome that serves the needs of the Canberra Airport, but with a measure of respite for residents by way of a curfew between 11pm and 6am only.

Mr Stanhope's remarks (from Hansard) follow, together with our emails to him expressing our disgust with his comments. He has responded to these emails, but it is one of those ministerials that dances around the substantive issues without answering any - read it for yourself (PDF170KB).

News - Airport

Every few months, a GCC rep attends the Canberra Airport's Noise Consultative Forum.

Aircraft noise isn't a significant problem in Gungahlin as yet, but as new suburbs are developed closer to the Federal Highway, this is bound to change.

At this latest meeting GCC Vice President Jonathon Reynolds and I pursued the issue of the Noise Abatement Zone, which currently doesn't cover any of the suburbs from Gungahlin east and north. A goal of GCC is to have the line moved to cover all of the current and proposed Gungahlin suburbs.

Air Services Australia delegates conceded that under the current operational procedures, shifting the boundary of the Noise Abatement Zone would not affect the operations of jet services. But they refused to look into shifting the line.

This leaves us with no option but to pursue the issue through political avenues, and I have already discussed the issue with Senator Kate Lundy, plus sent her the following email.

We'll keep you posted. The full meeting notes follow. There are also links to Air Services Australia reports that show the flight tracks of aircraft as they depart the airport and fly over Gungahlin:-

News - Airport

On 29 May 1998 the Commonwealth Government awarded the long-term lease of Canberra International Airport to Canberra International Airport Pty Limited as part of its Phase II sale of Federal airports. The Airports Act was amended in April 2007 following extensive consultation with the privatised airports, industry and other stakeholders.

In accordance with the Airports Act 1996, Canberra International Airport Pty Limited is required to submit a draft Master Plan for the approval of the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, for a 20 year horizon every five years.

The Gungahlin Community Council has lodged a submission in regard to the current 2008 iteration of the Draft Master Plan.

News - Airport

Former MLA Michael Moore writes in City News about the critical role the National Capital Authority has played in the roads mess around the airport.

"The office buildings that are now located at the airport would most likely have wound up in Gungahlin."

News - Airport

Gungahlin Community Council has united with other community organisations along the length of Canberra to oppose aspects of the Canberra Airport's draft Master Plan 2008, which is open for public comment until the end of February.

The new group is called Curfew for Canberra. The objectives of the association are to:

• secure a night time curfew at Canberra Airport
• oppose Canberra Airport becoming a 24-hour national & international freight hub
• oppose Canberra Airport becoming the second Sydney Airport
• oppose the construction of a parallel main runway
• oppose light aircraft engaged in training activities from transiting or over flying residential areas
• pursue appropriate amendments to the Canberra Noise Abatement Area
• inform the Canberra, Queanbeyan and surrounding communities about the consequences of aviation expansion that impact on residents' quality of life, and
• represent the concerns of residents and members to government and authorities.

News - Airport

CANBERRA AIRPORT EXPANSION:  A PRICE TOO HIGH?
A public meeting hosted by ACT Greens MLA, Deb Foskey 

When:  Thursday, February 7, 2008, 6.00pm for 6.30 pm until 8.30pm
Where:  Reception Room, ACT Legislative Assembly, Civic Square

Speakers     

• Mr Mick Gentleman MLA, for the ACT Government
• Mr Frank Pangallo MBE, Mayor Of Queanbeyan
• Mr Andrew McIntosh, author of The Australia Institute’s recent research paper, ‘Aviation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the ACT’
• Other speakers to be confirmed

When:  Thursday, February 7, 2008, 6.00pm for 6.30 pm until 8.30pm
Where:  Reception Room, ACT Legislative Assembly, Civic Square

Background
Canberra International Airport is planning massive expansion under its latest draft Master Plan. It wants to become Sydney’s second airport, including a 24-hour airfreight hub.  Unlike Sydney, Canberra does not have a night time curfew. There will be bigger planes with much greater frequency – up to 1 plane movement every 2 minutes.  There are significant social & environmental costs to the Canberra & Queanbeyan communities. The Airport draft Master Plan is open for public comment until 27/2/2008.

 

News - Airport

As the Canberra Airport readies its revised Master Plan, the subject of noise impacts from the planned expansion are sure to be on many peoples’ agendas. So too the traffic impacts of the airport’s unrelated commercial expansion.

This comprehensive article from the Canberra Times explores the key issues well. As a large article, it is a large file though – 2.5MB – so be warned if you are on dial-up.

News - Airport

Attended my first Airport Noise Meeting 8 Feb 2007.

The meeting seemed fairly heavily weighted towards industry and airport people, with community representatives maybe a third of those there, and just seven of the invitees versus 32 airport industry and government people...