Local resident David Stocker sent the room into hysterics when he hummed the sound of an aircraft flying overhead into the microphone for two minutes.
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The message you will hear today is strong and I urge you to listen.
- Bega Valley Shire mayor Kristy McBain
His was only one of many objections to a proposed flight college at Frogs Hollow, the subject of Thursday night’s Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel meeting in the Bega Civic Centre.
There were an estimated 300 in attendance, and very few in favour of the application.
Bega MP Andrew Constance said he is “deadset opposed” to the application due to a lack of investigation into potential environmental and social impacts.
“This (application) is absolutely crazy,” he said.
Bega Valley Shire mayor Kristy McBain said the “controversial development” poses a potential fire risk and should be refused.
She said tourism and agriculture are “essential” to the region and could be negatively impacted by the school.
“The message you will hear today is strong and I urge you to listen,” she told the panel.
A representative from neighbouring Eurobodalla Shire Council, Andrew Greenway, also raised an objection to the school's planned use of Moruya airport as it would provide "no social or economic benefit" to the public.
He said the proposal conflicts with the council's plans for the future of the airport and also predicted Rex flight delays from Sydney due to a possible 550 per cent increase in airport movements.
However, consultants for the developer, Sports Aviation Flight College Australia, said the “positive social impacts would outweigh the negative”.
According to resident Steve Jackson, who has spoken out in opposition of the project from the start, any decision is likely to head to the courts.
He said whether the panel rejected the application or approved it, it would likely head to the Land and Environment Court either way.
“If it does get knocked back, the developer could take it to the Land and Environment Court, but if they do, they will be fighting the state government as well as the council,” he said on Thursday.
“On the face of it, whether it is of merit to the community, the community is saying no. So the legal argument, whether the development is allowable, will likely play out.
“I don’t think it’s over yet.”
Thursday’s meeting was the latest in a long-running process to have a flight college for Chinese pilots built at the grass runway south of Bega. Sports Aviation Flight College Australia first raised the idea in 2015 with a later DA seeking approval for the first stage of construction of a flying school that would provide packages to students including accommodation, meals, tuition and flight training.
With an estimated cost of over $10million, the proposed development, on the Princes Hwy at Frogs Hollow, would consist of one main building containing offices, assembly and dining areas, two workshop buildings, 20 hangar buildings, 10 squadron compounds comprising accommodation, school, classroom, communal area, utility area and laundry, a car parking building, roads, a bridge, water storage tanks and fuel storage tanks.
JRPP panel chair Pam Allan had previously described the development application as “contentious”, and it’s understood 725 submissions were made during the public exhibition period – 720 opposing it, five in favour.
The development has been opposed by Eden-Monaro MP Mike Kelly, state Member Andrew Constance and Labor candidate for Bega Leanne Atkinson, and it has been the council’s recommendation it not proceed.
Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin was also among those to voice objections to the project during the last public meeting.
More to come
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