Warnervale airport: Tree line to be trimmed for safety following council decision

The fight for Warnervale airport’s northern tree line to be trimmed to ensure safety for flights has finally been resolved.

A decision has finally been made on the tree line at Warnervale Airport. Picture: Troy Snook

The northern tree line at Warnervale airport will finally be trimmed.

At last night’s Central Coast Council meeting, interim Administrator Dick Persson took no time to vote for the tree pruning at the northern end of the Warnervale Aircraft Landing Area (ALA) to improve the safety of aircraft landing and taking off from the runway.

The Central Coast Aero Club (CCAC) has been urging council to trim the tree line with the situation escalating earlier this year when the air ambulance service AirMed cancelled all flights to the coast due to the safety hazard. The club has argued that the tree line heights interfere with the flight paths at either ends of the runway.

Central Coast Aero Club CEO Andrew Smith at the northern end of Warnervale Airport. Picture: Troy Snook

The pruning will ensure the airport can maintain an Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) of 3.3 per cent to the north, in line with Civil Aviation Authority night flight operation guidelines.

Mr Persson said the decision was a no-brainer for him, however acknowledged the need to make safety paramount while also protecting the wetland environment.

“There are two genuine sides but in the balance for me given that it’s an established airport,

I didn’t find it a difficult decision,” he said.

“The expert environmental assessment tells us that the risk is manageable and this is the best way to achieve what we need to do. No work is proposed to the south of the ALA within the sensitive wetland area.”

The tall trees at the northern end. Picture: Troy Snook

CCAC president Andrew Smith posted to Facebook “safety finally prioritised at Warnervale Airport!”

“The CCAC, it’s directors, staff, students and members, as well as the broader aviation community salute you Mr Persson – you have managed to bring logic and reason back to a council which was locked in a dangerous spiral with issues like this,” he said.

Mr Smith spoke at last night’s meeting, saying the airport has been a fixture on the coast for 47 years, providing training for people pursuing aviation careers. He said CCAC and Warnervale Air have been the sole providers of flight training during this time and had never had a serious injury or fatality.

Mr Persson said at the end of the day the site is a dedicated airport and safety should be paramount.

“Safety is something taken very seriously at CCAC which has always been the cornerstone of our operations,” he said.

Mr Smith said the previous councillors had heard from industry experts that the trees needed trimming.

“It’s important to note that all aeromedical and RFS training flights have ceased operations into Warnervale airport due to the severely shortened runway lengths that have been necessary,” he said.

Council has received quotes for the work which will be done as soon as possible.