THE FUTURE of an $18m development at Kempsey airport hangs in the balance ahead of a meeting tomorrow, where the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel will either green light, knock back or delay the proposal. 

The development application for the construction and operation of an expanded pilot training facility will see up to 250 Chinese student pilots learning their trade at the Australian International Aviation College (AIAC), who currently lease the council-owned airport.  

The development application, if accepted, would see lecture rooms, recreation spaces, kitchens, dining rooms, dispatch and debriefing quarters, hangars, aircraft maintenance space and carparks constructed at the airport.

It’ll also see an increase in the number of flights taking off and landing at the airport.

According to the aircraft noise assessment report attached to the development application, the current traffic movements by AIAC at Kempsey Airport are in the vicinity of 191.25 movements per student over 12 months, with a movement consisting of one landing.

The report says that 15 cadets training at Kempsey equated to around 2868 movements per year, with about 150 day movements per student and 41.25 night movements per student over 12 months.

It is anticipated that a successful application would see the annual movements increase in 2017 (with 60 to 90 students) to between 11,475 movements (9000 day and 2475 night) to 17,212 movements (13,500 day and 3712 night).

2018 would see 120 to 150 students making between 22,950 movements (18,000 day and 4950 night) to 28,687 movements (22,500 day and 6187 night).

Only one type of aircraft, the Diamond Aircraft DA40NG, a single motor, four seat aircraft fitted with an exhaust silencer and three-blade propeller, is likely to be used at the school.

Community members have voiced outrage over a perceived lack of consultation ahead of the meeting. 

Initially, only residents living within 400m of the airport were informed of the development application.

Kempsey Shire councillors subsequently voted at the February council meeting in favour of a community awareness campaign to improve understanding of the operations and approvals required for the expansion of the college’s operation.

Adam Ulrick, who will speak against the application at the Wednesday meeting on behalf of the Save Kempsey Airport Action Group, said there hadn’t yet been an opportunity for community discussion. 

“We support current operations, but this expansion is just massive,” he said. 

Mr Ulrick is also concerned the development application, which centres on the construction of buildings, doesn’t address well-enough the flight patterns and noise concerns of nearby residents. 

Council is confident that students at the school will inject an extra $8.7m per year locally, with international visitors adding an extra $200,000 into the shire each year. 

Council expects the college to generate 58 full time jobs, with the financial runoff creating 226 full time jobs. 

As council is the landowner and the development is valued at more than $5m, the State Joint Regional Planning Panel will make a decision at a public meeting to be held at 2pm at Kempsey Council chambers tomorrow. 

If the application is successful, a revised Memorandum of Understanding between council and the college will be prepared before construction.

This will include a Fly Neighbourly Agreement that will be based on an independent assessment of noise.