Remarkables Park Ltd wants a "Rolls-Royce access road" to its development, but not at its cost, counsel for Queenstown Airport Corporation Ltd said when making closing submissions to the Queenstown Airport runway safety extension hearing yesterday.
Corporation solicitor Amanda Dewar submitted to independent commissioners Trevor Shiels and Christine Kelly it was important to remember the airport's proposed 90m long runway end safety area would be an engineered fill and the wider the road bench, the more fill would be required and the more it would cost.
Ms Dewar said the width of the eastern access road bench and the timing of the provision of the road itself were the basis of the evidence and submissions by Remarkables Park , represented by counsel Royden Somerville QC.
Remarkables Park and Shotover Park Ltd, subsidiaries of Porter Group, were the major opponents to the corporation's application to alter an existing designation in the District Plan to provide for a safety area at both ends of the main runway, as required by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Ms Dewar said the corporation was not aware of any circumstances that would cause a delay to the safety area construction, other than appeals to the Environment Court.
She noted that Remarkables Park's traffic witness Anthony Penny confirmed there was no need for the road to be constructed until after 2011, the statutory deadline set by the CAA.
Ms Dewar said the work would cost between $5 million and $10 million.
"It is important not to add unnecessary cost - the safety area is an expensive exercise as it is," she said.
All submitters supported the idea of the safety area and accepted it was important for the future of the district, but "it appears that no-one is willing to accept any adverse effects from the construction . . . This is simply not realistic."
A letter from Queenstown Lakes District Council transportation planning manager Denis Mander to corporation chief executive Steve Sanderson was submitted.
Mr Mander QLDC supported a road width in the range of 16m-19m.
A pathway to the side of the carriageway could be shared by pedestrians and cycleways, if good transition points were provided at each road end, he said.
Resource management planning adviser John Kyle submitted proposed conditions on behalf of the corporation.
The earth-fill embankment would provide for a 16m-19m road corridor for future use.
Old School Rd, Spence Rd, Hawthorne Dr and Glenda Dr would not be used by fill haulage trucks, he said.
Before the "short-term night-time construction phase," a night time noise and lighting management plan would be submitted to QLDC for approval.
The commissioners will receive a memorandum on yesterday's discussion between the corporation and Remarkables Park counsels and representatives by Friday.
Mr Shiels and Ms Kelly said they would make a recommendation to the airport.
