Media Release| Monday, September 2, 2013

Establishment of the Queenstown Airport Liaison Committee

The first steps in the roll out of Queenstown Airport’s Noise Management Plan begins this week when Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) calls for expressions of interest for three community representatives for the Queenstown Airport Liaison Committee.

The Committee is being established in preparation for the Environment Court’s final approval of Queenstown Airport’s Plan Change 35 (PC35), which expands the noise boundaries of the Airport to allow it to meet the anticipated growth of passenger numbers and aircraft movements out to 2037.

To be chaired by Queenstown-based lawyer, Jane Taylor, QLDC is calling for nominations to fill the three community representative positions on the nine person committee.

The other representatives will be appointed from the Council, a scheduled airline, Airways Corporation, general aviation users and Queenstown Airport Corporation.

Once established the committee will finalise the Noise Mitigation Plan, which sets out how the airport will manage issues related to airport noise. Once the plan is finalised the committee is tasked with its implementation.

It is expected that the committee representatives will be announced at the start of October.

“This is a very positive move to ensure that the community has a direct conduit into the processes around change at Queenstown Airport and the ability to understand and input into that change,” QLDC Mayor Vanessa van Uden said.

The role of community representative on this committee will be about ensuring the QAC works consultatively and proactively with its neighbours, she said.

“The airport is growing fast with increasing numbers of people travelling to Queenstown via the airport. We want to make sure we look after our neighbours as we keep growing,” said Scott Paterson, Chief Executive Officer, Queenstown Airport.

“It has been more than five years of extensive consultation and the establishment of the Committee is the next step to get PC 35 up and running and helping the people closest to the airport,” he said.

The Public Notice for expressions of interest for community representatives will be posted in local newspapers, on the QLDC and Queenstown Airport websites from Wednesday, 4 September, 2013.

ENDS
For more information please contact:
Nina Crawford on 03 450 9031 or 021 733 315

By: QLDC