The Queenstown Airport Corporation has sought additional provisions in the Queenstown Lakes District Council's proposed district plan to provide clarity in planning for Wanaka Airport.
Solicitor Rebecca Wolt, of Lane Neave, told the hearings panel the airport is in the rural zone, but under the proposed plan the airport and airport-related activities were considered "non-complying activities''.
That would result in an "unnecessary and inefficient'' consenting regime which did not recognise the physical environment of the airport, or the general appropriateness of airport and airport-related activities at Wanaka.
QAC sought for a bespoke planning framework, defined by either the identification of an overlay on a planning map; defining the spatial extent of the airport by reference to the Aerodrome Purposes Designation; or similar way, for example, creating a new Wanaka Airport Zone.
Ms Wolt said despite the council's reporting officer accepting the underlying rural zoning was "not appropriate'' for the airport, and the zoning's purpose being "fundamentally different'' to the nature and scale of activities at the airport, the council recommended the bespoke framework be rejected.
Ms Wolt said that would be inefficient and, in light of the facts, unjustifiable.
"The additional provisions QAC seeks for inclusion in the [plan] are few, focused and clearly directed at addressing the unique circumstances of Wanaka Airport.
"Rather than complicate the chapter, they will provide clarity in the planning regime that applies to the airport.
"This will assist both plan users, and council staff administering it.''
The existing planning regime was "confused''. Several approvals had been granted to private applicants under the outline plan process, which was not legally available to them, because they were not the requiring authority.
That underscored why a bespoke planning regime was necessary, she said.
"The reporting officer recommends that Wanaka Airport planning issues be investigated, and possibly addressed, during Stage 2 of the District Plan Review.
"This recommendation is of little assistance to the panel, as it requires you to adopt, in your decision on Stage 1 ... the status quo for Wanaka Airport, notwithstanding the reporting officer has acknowledged the status quo is not appropriate.
"You would likely confront real difficulty in justifying this approach under section 32 [of the Resource Management Act], given the status quo is not efficient or effective and there are clearly other reasonably practicable options available for addressing resource management issues at Wanaka Airport.
"Further, you have no jurisdiction over what will be addressed during Stage 2 of the review.''
