The Christian School Association of New Zealand applied to use the existing building, within which KingsView School now operates, at 4 Lake Ave, Frankton, as the KingsView Early Learning Centre and as a hall for pupils and managed for the community by the Salvation Army Church.
Alison Noble, of Dunedin consultants Mitchell Partnerships, submitted on behalf of the airport the school was located within the existing outer control boundary where aviation noise reached 55 decibels Ldn.
The airport's Plan Change 35 provisions and a notice of requirement called for all new and altered buildings which were to be used for activities sensitive to aircraft noise, such as schools, should be designed to filter noise down to 40dB Ldn.
Compliance could be demonstrated by submitting a certificate to the Queenstown Lakes District Council from an acoustic specialist which stated construction would meet the national sound requirement, or a mechanical ventilation system could be installed, Ms Noble said.
"In order to protect both the amenity of the proposed learning environment and future operations at Queenstown Airport, the proposed zone standard should be applied to the application to ensure a satisfactory internal noise environment is achieved for the school."
Ms Noble said the airport wanted to be heard when the association's consent application was heard by commissioners David Collins and Christine Kelly next week.
Lakes Environmental received the application on November 30 last year and it was publicly notified on July 27 this year. A total of six submissions were lodged, all in opposition.
More information on the proposed non-residential activity and the effects on the environment were lodged in October.
KingsView School already had consents for up to 100 primary and secondary pupils, with four staff, and it was proposed to use the hall on weekdays from 8am to 6pm. Up to 30 children and six staff would use the proposed learning centre on weekdays between 7.30am and 6pm and share the school's lobby, reception and medical room.
The hall would be used on weekdays from 3pm to 10pm and on weekends from 9am to 10pm by pupils during school hours.
Other meetings and music practice, after-school care and youth activities and classes and group meetings of up to 160 people were proposed outside of school hours.
The environmental effects assessment by Breakthrough Resource Management Ltd said the hall would be busiest on Sundays when about 70 worshippers attended a meeting. They would use the eight on-site car parks on Yewlett St, the 28 parks on the site and, if required, 16 overflow parks made available by the Frankton Arm Tavern.
Other submitters opposed on the grounds of an "incremental creep" of development which would erode residential amenity values, plus concerns over traffic increases, inadequate parking, "noise issues" and the suitability of having an early learning centre and community hall in the same building as a tavern.
"The neighbours don't want it and a school does not belong here," trustees of the J.N. Waldron Family Trust said.
The hearing is scheduled to take two days in the Crowne Plaza Queenstown hotel next week.
