The bench for the unformed eastern access road on and around the proposed fill for the airport's eastern runway end safety area should be widened from 16m at least 22m because it was going to be a key arterial and popular scenic route between Glenda Dr and Hawthorne Dr, independent commissioners Christine Kelly and Trevor Shiels heard.
The access road bench, 6m below the level of the proposed runway area should have room for pedestrian and cycleways, laybys for motorists stopping to admire the view, a speed limit of 50kmh and would help spread the load of more than a million vehicles per year and rising, which were travelling between the Remarkables and Shotover parks and State Highway 6, submitters said.
The comments came during the third day of the hearing of submissions on the notice of requirement by Queenstown Airport Corporation Ltd (QAC) to alter the aerodrome designation in the District Plan.
QAC wants to construct a 90m-long and wide runway end safety area at the eastern end of the main runway, as required by new national Civil Aviation Authority standards, using gravel from the Shotover River delta, and to be finished by 2011.
Dr Royden Somerville, counsel for Remarkables Park Ltd and Shotover Park Ltd said his clients strongly supported the benefits of the proposed safety area.
However, they sought to "manage the risk of delay with the construction" and wanted a "a legal mechanism for [all] projects to be secure" by designating the strip as legal road, Dr Somerville said.
He asked that the hearing be adjourned so Remarkables Park, Shotover Park, QAC and QLDC could come to an agreement on conditions, as they had several times before, then come back to the commissioners in about two weeks.
Porter Group Ltd director Alastair Porter, also director of subsidiaries Remarkables Park and Shotover Park, was one of four witnesses called by Dr Somerville.
Mr Porter said Remarkables Park and its clients "need to be able to continue to rely upon the existing eastern access road, without being concerned with any of the risks that might attach to the development of the proposed [safety area]."
Earlier this week resource consent solicitor Warwick Goldsmith had made two submissions in support of the safety area, on behalf of Peninsula Road Ltd, another major Queenstown developer, and an unrelated submission on behalf of Five Mile (in receivership) Ltd.
Wakatipu Trails Trust chief executive Renee Bowman made a neutral submission but asked that a sealed pedestrian walkway be provided along the road bench.
Air New Zealand Ltd, which previously submitted in support of the safety area turned lukewarm on the unknown costs of QAC's fill proposal yesterday.
In a statement for solicitors, handed out at the hearing yesterday, Air NZ said the costs were likely to be passed on to airlines and, ultimately, passengers and the wider community.
"This has implications in terms of whether or not the works are appropriate, having regards to matters such as efficiency and alternatives."
In response to Ms Kelly's questions, traffic consultant Tony Penny, speaking for Remarkables Park and Shotover Park, said a road via a ventilated tunnel through the safety area fill was considered but would be costly, would prevent future expansion of the road to four lanes if needed and mean road users would lose "spectacular" views of the river confluence.
Acting regional manager Ian McCabe said Transit New Zealand was in partial support of the notice of requirement.
However, it was uncertain where the fill material would be sourced, where unsuitable cleanfill material might go and how the proposal would affect state highways.
"If material is sourced from the adjoining Shotover River delta, there is likely to be only a minor impact on the surrounding public road network," he said.
The hearing is expected to finish today.
