New Hangers planned for Barwon Heads

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Well lookie here


http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/08/15832_news.html

Barwon Heads airport battle lost
Jessica Craven
08Jul08
THE state's peak planning tribunal has thrown out Skydive City boss Luke McWilliam's bid to stop the expansion of Barwon Heads airport.
The City of Greater Geelong allowed a permit for the construction of five hangars and associated carparking earlier this year but Mr McWilliam opposed the application on the grounds there was no master plan for the expansion of the airport.
Mr McWilliam was banned from using the airport landing strips last May, forcing him to use an illegal airstrip on his property or on another private runway.
The council is currently mounting a legal challenge on the grounds the illegal airstrip was built without council approval.
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal member Phillip Martin said the construction of the hangars was important in terms of the long-term growth of the airport.
"It is very clear that there is an unhappy history of relations between Mr McWilliam and the owner/operators of the appeal site," he said.
Mr Martin said it would be an excessive situation if the tribunal was to refuse the proposal due to the absence of a master plan.
"This is reinforced by the fact that there have been so many planning permits already granted for development on the airport," he said.
He said he did not agree with Mr McWilliam's argument that the hangars would be out of character with the neighbouring area.
"I am not convinced that there would be any unreasonable amenity impacts on Mr McWilliam's own property, or on any other neighbouring property," he said.
"If one chooses to live near this type of airport, I consider that it goes with the territory that one has to expect that there will be reasonably large hangar structures that will be quite visually prominent."
Mr Martin affirmed the decision to grant a permit subject to several conditions.

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