The Airport Group (TAG) commenced work on these critical documents in early August, having been awarded the contract following a competitive tender process.

Council’s General Manager, Craig Milburn, explained the NMP is an important tool in quantifying and managing the impact of noise generated by airport use.

“The NMP will consider a number of potential noise management strategies such as hours of operation, assessment of potential flight paths and identification of noise abatement zones.

“In conjunction with the FNA, it will provide a mechanism to help to address the balance of airport operations and residential impact.”

Part of the initial briefing and data development work carried out by TAG has involved meeting with the Kempsey Airport Reference Group (KARG) which includes representatives from the community alongside senior council staff. 

“This is a significant piece of work and it’s great that we have ensured that there is input from both community representatives, staff and technical experts from the outset,” concluded Mr Milburn.

It is anticipated that the draft NMP and FNA will be tabled at the November council meeting before being placed on public exhibition, seeking community feedback for a minimum of 28 days.

Community feedback will then be reviewed and assessed before any final documents are presented to council for consideration.