Following is quoted some of the discussion on aus.aviation (which should be here):
Stealth Pilot <
[email protected]> wrote:
>Y'know some of you guys need to get out a bit more.
Thank you.
>Have you ever thought that the government plans for the sale of Hoxton
>Park actually make sense?
Yeh? Your theory of course.
>Hoxton Park should be turned into residential development.
Possible. You mean like some of the country airports are doing? Which
one is stunningly successful at this? My opinion: Generally pilots a/c
people do not have the spare cash to plug a lot of dough into buying a
home unit with a hangar space at an airport. IF they do, they buy the
weekender up the coast. And of course, the wives think it a great
reason to get rid of the mad flying bastard husband and get half the
total assets anyhow:-)
>It has areas of preservable bushland.
>It has a single runway.
Yep. Agreed.
>Instead of bleating wildly that nothing should be changed you should
>be seeing the sense in combining the three factors above.
Groan...
>The move to privatise Hoxton Park is unstopable so move it in a
>direction of advantage.
>
>Ever heard of a residential airpark ?
See above Not stunningly successful. But that is only my idea.
>The yanks have successfully built dozens of them. They prosper well.
>The future of Hoxton Park lies in developing it into a residential
>airpark. The bleating would be far far more effective if it was
>changed to an insistent urging that the redevelopment should get
>underway as soon as possible.
Get this: It aint bleating.
>The pilot lobby has a simple target ahead of it to preserve Hoxton
>Park.
>Convince the developers that more value can be had by redevelopment as
>a residential airpark than as an area of pure residential development.
Yeh? I actually do this sort of thing. Show *me* how. THi sis a high
value area, not some out of the way paddock.
>Part high value residential airpark and part private hangarage would
>seem to me to offer the best chance of retaining the facility.
>
>Use the environmental lobby as a a friend and have them get active to
>preserve the bushland. That diminishes broadacre development value.
Yep. Ever seen a greenie like an airport though??
>If you all got together and pushed hard you might just end up with the
>best little airfield development in Australia.
>
>Start talking to the local council planners about it !
..........
>Stealth (get your arses into gear!) Pilot
Another one (just to keep everyone up to date):
Stealth Pilot <
[email protected]> wrote:
>Graham the redevelopment push is profit driven.
I think the sale of Hoxton is more "privatisation" driven. And the
sale value overrated by the Feds.
>The government hasnt suddenly turned phillistine either, the move to
>remove itself from bearing the aviation infrastructure costs has been
>underway now for about 10 years.
Yeh.
>quite often success in the face of certain defeat comes from looking
>at the problem with a different viewpoint and seeing the opportunity.
Yeh.
>how do you use the profit motivation for the future of the airfield?
>ask yourself 'what makes real estate valuable?'
Low &/or fixed supply. Demand and the ability to pay for it. Real
Estate 1001, 1st lecture. <smile>.
>flat land is bland and cheapest.
>a beach nearby increases the value, a hillside with views increases
>the value, a river foreshore increases the value, a bay increases the
>value. even a shopping centre nearby can increase the value.
Yeh.
>what most real estate people dont appreciate is that an airfield that
>is properly developed is as much a value improver as the sydney
>harbour.
Yeh? Doubt that. Stealth, you should get into Real Estate. <cynical
grin>
>The key to shaping the future development of the airfield is to
>suggest/prove that retaining the airstrip and developing around it as
>the central feature (residential airpark) has the highest profit
>return.
Sounds like Economics 1001.
>because of their government ownership most airfields have not been
>available for residential airpark development so there is not much of
>an example to lead with. Narromine and Goolwa are the only ones that
>come to mind.
That's right. I just don't think it an area where there happens to be
high demand for the product. (Esp. compared with the alternatives),
I go to Narromine often.<smile>. Jabs *can* fly that far..<grin>.
>you need to talk to the local council town planners to find out who is
>proposing redevelopment. then you need to approach them and
>plant/hammer home the idea that retaining the airstrip and developing
>a residential airpark will return them the highest profits.
It aint the Council selling it. Its the Feds.
>Among the 11,000 pilots in this country are quite a few millionaires
>who would like to live close to where they fly.
I am. And I am happy *not* to live next to the airport. And not for
the noise aspect. (I am only 12 mins to KSA.)
>I'm sure most wouldnt
>mind living near enthusiasts of lesser means.
Groan. Not the issue at all.
>There is opportunity for
>a range of home prices in a large development.
>As an example of what is possible, South of Perth is Port Bouvarde one
>of the highest priced areas of real estate in the coastal corridor.
>that area was developed from swamp along the lines of the gold coast
>developments. It targets wealthy yachties who want to live by their
>boats. It was created from nothing.
>Ignore those who think it isnt possible. for them it isnt.
Personally, I think most blokes are happy to drive a little way to the
airport. Can't imagine most wives/kids wanting to live near or on it.
>You need to be quite visionary to shake the earth at times.
>Have a go at shaking it.
Yeh.
>The worst you can do is fail
So? No probs.. the ones affected are probably more affected more that
I.
>.even in failure people will applaud the attempt.
No. Mostly they sit on their pathetic bums still doing nothing yet
complaining about their lot in life.
>So have a go.
That is exactly what I *am* doing.
Moreover, I do not come from the view that I want to maximise my
compensation from the Feds due to having a long lease from the feds on a hangar. I am simply after retaining safe flying in the Sydney basin for a lot of people in an area accessible to a lot of them. For a long
time to come.
>dont waste your time trying to preserve the status quo. spend your
>efforts shaping the future developments.
Sounds like one of my sayings to my staff: Forget the past, make the
future.
:-)
Thanks for the input.