A group of Frankton residents have formed an incorporated society to fight the Queenstown Airport Corporation's (QAC) plans to expand its operations - and they are willing to take it all the way to the Environment Court.
Wakatipu Residents Against Aircraft Noise (WRAAN) members Scot Freeman
and Brett Giddens appeared on behalf of the group at a hearing this week on QAC's proposal to expand its noise boundaries and introduce night flights between 10pm and midnight.
Mr Freeman told the hearing the group had been formed in response to the corporation proposals and its members were primarily Frankton residents.
Mr Freeman lives in McBride St, within the proposed night noise boundary.
He said he chose to buy a house next to the airport and was not against "reasonable growth" there.
However, he was concerned about the increase in potential flights and night flights in particular.
He indicated the group would appeal the proposals in the Environment Court if they were accepted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
He said the proposal lacked detail, and the residents were disappointed the noise management plan was not submitted when the proposal was first lodged and notified.
Important details had been withheld and he accused the corporation of not being transparent.
"The recommended works to affected properties, the identification of the persons responsible for managing the works, how the works will be funded, and the timing of the works.
None of these important considerations were included in the proposal.
The community has not had a chance to comment," Mr Freeman said.
He said it was unreasonable to expect residents to keep their windows closed in summer months.
WRAAN has commissioned the services of an acoustic consultant, Mr Nigel Lloyd of Acousafe Noise Control Solutions.
He said night flights would have many adverse effects and strong benefits would need to be demonstrated by QAC to justify them.
Another WRAAN member and McBride St resident Brett Giddens said the proposal to extend the airport's operating hours would limit him to six hours' sleep.
He said he had not complained about the aircraft noise during the day, even though it did disrupt sleep in the mornings, caused glass to rattle in his kitchen and his dog to bark.
"The proposal will result in sleep disturbance, amenity disruption, in general nuisance effects that in my opinion will not be mitigated or remedied.
These types of effects can only be avoided if I move from Frankton or build a bunker," he said.
No adequate evidence has been put forward by QAC which showed adverse effects of night flights were outweighed by economic benefits.
Commissioners Bob Batty, David Clarke and Stephen Chiles have heard different viewpoints from 12 submitters over six days and will have to review hundreds of pages of evidence in making their recommendation to the council.
The hearing was adjourned on Tuesday because the commissioners wanted more detail from the corporation on its noise mitigation and management plans.
Mr Batty said the hearing would have to reconvene, possibly in September, to hear further evidence from the corporation.
