Council gives airport plan green light

Toowoomba businessman John Wagner has been given the all-clear to start construction on Wellcamp Airport early next year.

Toowoomba businessman John Wagner. Picture: Bev Lacey

TOOWOOMBA developer John Wagner has been given the all-clear to start construction on Wellcamp Airport early next year.

Mr Wagner was seated in the front row of the City Hall public gallery yesterday as his plan came under the scrutiny of council's development assessment panel.

He declined to address the meeting, opting rather to hang back and wait for the decision he always expected.

Wagners work crews are on standby to start building in March, 2013.

"I think it's a fantastic decision for this region," Mr Wagner said.

"I stand by my view that this is a game-changer for Toowoomba and the entire region."

While councillors were unanimous in their approval of the airport, they were concerned that minimal community consultation was required due to its code-assessable status.

"I'm disappointed that a project of this magnitude is code-assessable, taking away the local community's right to be part of the process," Cr Mike Williams said.

Under Toowoomba's current planning scheme the undertaking would be impact-assessable, requiring an enormous amount of discussion with ratepayers and stakeholders who might be affected by its approval.

However, developers were given a two-year window after amalgamation in which they could still apply under former planning schemes - in this case, that of Jondaryan Shire Council.

Mr Wagner's entirely-legal manoeuvring made the project's approval much simpler than it would otherwise have been.

"They made that window by about two days," Cr Chris Tait said.

"However, my overall perspective of the project as a whole is that it's excellent for the community."

While construction has been approved, Mr Wagner must now run the gauntlet with the Department of Defence.

Councillors have seen the masses of objections from Defence, mostly regarding shared military airspace with Oakey Army Training and Aviation Centre and the RAAF base at Amberley.

Those issues were unrelated to yesterday's land-use approval but require resolution with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority if Mr Wagner's plan to fly more than 500,000 passengers annually within 20 years is to be realised.
 

 

Will new airport be cleared for take-off?

13/12/2012

THE man behind an effort to build a jet-capable airport just 15km from Toowoomba's city centre is confident his proposal will get the green light from council's development assessment panel today.

John Wagner has construction teams at the ready for an early-2013 start on the Wellcamp Airport.

Before they are mobilised, council must work through a raft of concerns raised by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Department of Defence - and they are numerous.

Most relate to the logistics of sharing restricted military airspace with nearby Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre and the need to reform flight paths and schedules there and at the Toowoomba Airport.

Defence has proven to be the major stumbling block to the proposal, but Mr Wagner was convinced any issues could be ironed out over the next year.

"We put men on the moon in the early 1970s, so I can't see any reason why we can't re-design airspace in 2013," he said.

"That's how I view it. Where there's a will, there's a way."

There is certainly ample will, with Wagners investing millions just to get the proposal to its current stage.

A conceptual image of the entry to the proposed Wellcamp Airport.

Councillors will be presented with 140 pages of plans and concerns from CASA, Defence and other parties at 1pm today.

A letter from Air Commodore Anker Brodersen is attached to the application and outlines Defence's unease.

"As soon as an aircraft departs or lands at the proposed airport, it will be within Defence's restricted military airspace," it states.

"An airport in the proposed location has serious safety implications...

"Of note, the long term viability of the proposed airfield will be reliant upon access to restricted military airspace that cannot be guaranteed.

"Due to Defence's operational requirements, access to active restricted military airspace can only be granted on a case-by-case basis.

"Consequently, Defence recommends an airport of this nature be located further afield, where airspace is available."

The opposition relates not only to Defence operations in Oakey, but also its RAAF base at Amberley.

CASA has stated that the airport master plan "appears to adequately address the Certification issues" but raised concerns over the "aggressive timeframe" of the project.

"... a commencement date of 2016 is likely to be more achievable," it stated.

Concept map of Wagners&squot; proposed Wellcamp Airport.

Other issues have arisen due to the likely need to redirect runways and flight plans at existing airports at Toowoomba and Oakey, as well as the possibility air traffic control towers at both sites would need significant upgrades to safely direct the influx of traffic.

Mr Wagner said all those obstacles would be scaled once safety and operational management plans were delivered and an aeronautical study was carried out by CASA.

"They (the plans) will be put together over the next six months while we get ourselves organised to make sure we have a very safe and efficient operation," he said.

"We will start construction at the end of the first quarter of 2013.

"CASA doesn't certify the airport until after it is built."

Mr Wagner was reserved when asked how difficult it had been to get the proposal to its current stage.

"It's just a matter of doing all the planning and organisation to ensure we've got a low-cost and world's-best-practice airport," he said.

Draft master plan

• 516ha to be changed from rural zoning to allow a public airport terminal
• Vehicle access to be gained from Toowoomba-Cecil Plains Rd via a two-lane carriageway and private road to be built as an extension to existing unnamed public road
• Runway is 2870m long by 45m wide with the inclusion of turning nodes, orientated in north-west to south-easterly direction
• Includes two taxiways and an aircraft apron to the north of the proposed terminal building and car parking to the south-east of the runway
• Public terminal building will have gross floor area of 194 square metres including office, reception, foyer, meeting rooms and amenities
• Proposal includes provision for future expansion and staging of aircraft aprons and taxiways (not relevant the current development application)
• Existing buildings and structures on site are to be demolished/removed and the existing airstrip is to be decommissioned
• Facility is to operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week
• Car parking is to be provided for 120 cars with the option of additional capacity to be provided initially (for up to 417 cars).
• Provision for passenger pick-up and drop-off, disability access pick-up and drop-off, taxi rank, shuttle bus and coach/bus parking, and car rental parking

Project Timeline
Stage 1 - Start-up
Operations to mid-2019 intended to cater for:

• Up to nine-seater aircraft conducting private/charter operations to Roma, Injune, Miles and other locations in the Surat Basin
• 50-seater aircraft conducting regular passenger operations to Sydney and possibly in support of Skytrans services currently operating from Toowoomba until at least April 2013
• Some helicopter operations
• Annual passengers expected to be 70,000 for the first six months to Dec 2014
• Minimum of 120 car parks will be required.
• Proposal does not include warehouses, fuel storage or hangars, meaning aircraft will not be able to park overnight

Stage 1A - Start-up security screening operations 
Not part of current application

• Introduce larger aircraft and require security screening operations and associated upgrades to the terminal building
• Operations continue to utilise Stage 1 runway, taxiway and apron
• Additional destinations to Bowen and Galilee Basins for nine-seater aircraft
• Small freight operations to Roma and Sydney
• Introduction of 76-seater aircraft conducting regular passenger trips to Sydney
• Annual passengers expected to be 135,000 at the end of 2015 and 165,000 at end of 2016
• Minimum of 270 car parks will be required

Stage 2 - short-term expansion 
Not part of current application 

• Construction of corporate hangars
• Construction of Stage 2 main apron
• Air traffic control service if required
• 170-seater aircraft such as A320/B737 conducting regular passenger operations to Sydney
• Ad-hoc B747 freighter operations from Singapore
• Annual passengers expected to be 238,000 at the end of 2018
• Minimum of 330 car parks will be required

Stage 3 - medium-term consolidation 
Not part of current application 

• Include a maintenance and repair organisation and development of the Stage 3 taxiway.
• Aviation rescue and fire fighting facilities as required
• Applicant notes the expected expiration of leases at the Toowoomba Airport in 2023
• Minimum of 417 car parks will be required
• 20 Year Horizon (not part of this application)
• Annual passenger numbers expected to be 530,000 at the end of the 20-year planning horizon 

Originally published as Council gives airport plan green light