Action On Airport Noise And Land Use

The City Council is moving to tighten up controls on residential development near the airport. Variation 52 introduces new wording in the Proposed City Plan, which will bolster existing policies aimed at protecting the airport from urban housing development. The variation has two parts:

• Strengthening an existing policy to discourage residential subdivision inside the 50 Ldn dBA noise contour.
• Adding a new policy to ensure that the airport controls the amount of noise generated from its activities. Impetus for the variation came from the Environment Court following a declaration that some amendments made to the plan as a result of submissions were beyond the scope of those submissions.

Senior Planner Ivan Thomson admits that the controls are more onerous than those suggested in the New Zealand Standards. However, he says that these standards are not binding and Councils are free to impose tougher controls if they can be justified. “The world is littered with airports that have either had to be shut down, moved or have restricted operations because of weak action by local planning authorities. It would be a tragedy for the City and Canterbury Region if this happened to Christchurch International Airport.” Mr Thomson says this variation focuses on urban encroachment. Other policies and rules already in place aim to limit rural dwellings around the airport.

The variation was publicly notified on 2 August 2000 and hearings are likely to be set down towards the beginning of December.