Councillors today voted against any further changes regarding the issue of negotiations surrounding circuit training at Kempsey Airport until the Fly Neighbourly Agreement (FNA), Noise Management Plan (NMP) and Airport Master plan comes into effect in December.
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Councillor Leo Hauville today put the motion to council that would see any further development applications for use of Kempsey Airport as a circuit training facility to not be determined under delegated authority of the general manager.
Councillors debated the motion for around an hour before it was ultimately voted down.
Secretary of Save Kempsey Airport Action group (SKAAG), Dick Pearson, addressed the councillors, speaking for the motion.
“We want to see this improve for everyone in the community,” Mr Pearson said.
“This motion, if carried, would put decision making in the hands of all councillors.”
Cr Hauville said that one of council’s main jobs was to be representative of the community as a whole.
“We should have a responsibility, especially with serious issues in the community,” Cr Hauville said.
“This would bring it back to council and back into our hands. It’s our role to serve all 30,000 people in the community.”
A number of councillors were against the motion, the reason being they believed it unnecessary as there are currently no negotiations taking place with AIAC and there are unlikely to be any future negotiations until the FNA, NMP and Airport Master Plan are adopted.
Cr Mark Baxter argued that the motion disregarded the general manager’s role.
“The GM briefs us on options, we discuss them and make the decisions, he asks for our advice at briefings,” Cr Baxter said.
General manager Craig Milburn said the likelihood of any negotiations in the next five months was slim to non-existent.
“If we were approached by a new flying school, any negotiations would wait until the FNA comes into place in five months’ time,” Mr Milburn said.
Mayor Liz Campbell said the motion was ultimately saying what council is already doing in regards to the issue of circuit training.
“It’s reiterating what we are currently doing and my question is why are we bringing this back into business in council?” Cr Campbell said.
There will be no lengthening or reducing of circuit training hours until the FNA, NMP and Airport Master Plan come into effect in December.
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