Public support for airport at Whenuapai in Auckland

By WAYNE THOMPSON

A poll conducted for the promoters of Whenuapai as a commercial airport shows nearly half those asked were in favour.

The Waitakere City Council says the poll of 300 residents taken in December showed "reasonable awareness" of the proposal to return the airbase to commercial use when the Air Force leaves in five years.

The council and investor Infratil plan to develop the base as a secondary regional airport to Auckland International Airport at Mangere.

The poll is included in council submissions to the Government, which is set to decide by mid-year what it will do with the 311ha.

Residents of the North Shore and West Auckland, which would be in the airport flight path, showed they were no more in favour or opposed to an airport than residents of other parts of Auckland.

The main reasons for supporting the plan were the beliefs that it would help the economy and jobs, that Auckland was growing rapidly, that the area around Mangere airport was getting too congested and that travel time for northern and western residents was too long and inconvenient.

Forty-six per cent were in favour, 31 per cent would not mind either way and 13 per cent were opposed.

Those opposed were worried about noise, Auckland's ability to support two airports and diversion of resources from health, housing, education and other transport. Some said the Northern and Western Motorways were already congested.

Whenuapai Airbase Action Group chairwoman Ann Forrester said the poll was heartening because it highlighted that 13 per cent of the people did not want an airport, despite the council's huge promotion of its benefits.

An airport for domestic and transtasman jets is one of four main options being considered.

Others are using the land for public work, such as a prison, school or state housing, developing an industrial commercial estate or dividing it into 30 or 40 lifestyle blocks.

The North Shore City Council will this week do its own telephone survey of 850 residents to test local feeling about the options.

The council has not yet supported any option and wants to put the survey results in its submission to the Defence Force.

Both the North Shore council and the Auckland Regional Council say the future of the base needs more detailed assessment and should not be rushed to suit an April deadline.

ARC strategic policy chairman Ian Bradley said further investigation of all options, including expected environmental effects, was needed.

The base's future use would affect use of the surrounding area and the region as whole, he said.

The Regional Growth Strategy for the next 20 years did not include Whenuapai as a growth area.

It was beyond urban sprawl limits and the airfield was cocooned in a sensitive rural environment.

North Shore Mayor George Wood said he did not want the region to lose the chance to have an airport but environmental issues must be resolved.

A Rodney District Council spokesman said the council shared concerns about environmental effects, though it was keen for the maximum economic benefit to be extracted from the site.