LOCAL residents have overwhelmingly opposed a Uleybury man’s plan to build a private airstrip on his Kentish Road property.
As reported in The Bunyip in March, landowner John Buttrose lodged a development application with Playford Council in October last year to create a 450m-long runway on his property, which he intends to fly his two small aircraft from.
Mr Buttrose, 30, plans to use the airstrip for “personal use”, with his application stating he would conduct flights – in his J3 Piper Cub and Cessna 182 – up to three times per week, between 7am and 8pm.
During the mandatory consultation period in March – the results of which have now been published on the council’s website – 86 residents made written submissions opposing the construction of the airstrip, while 24 supported it.
Of those people in favour of the development, eight lived outside of the area – in Williamstown, Virginia, Kangaroo Island, Port Augusta, Smithfield and North Haven.
The most significant documentation submitted to council was a report from Stimson Consulting’s John Stimson, on behalf of two Uleybury residents.
In his report, Mr Stimson raised concerns about the location of the proposed runway, as per guidelines set by the Civil Aviation Authority, and the times in which it plans to be used by Mr Buttrose.
“The northern end is some 18 metres from Kentish Road,” he stated.
“The trees along this section are around five metres high and there are power poles on the eastern side of Kentish Road that are similar.
“The proposal also seeks use of the airstrip up until 8pm, which for much of the year is night time and as such different slope criteria are required.
“There should be a 100-metre distance from the end of the runway to the trees, given their height.
“Clearly, the proposal does not comply with this guideline.”
In a separate letter to council, Department for Energy and Mining senior electrical officer Rebecca Schulz also flagged the nearby “high voltage” power lines as potential hazards.
"Some residents local to this development raised this application with us due to the proximity of power lines to the proposed airstrip,” she wrote.
“I understand from the application that take off and landings are not planned to be over Kentish Road, however it may be prudent, as per Australian Standards AS 3891.1 and 3891.2, for the applicant to request SA Power Networks apply Aircraft Warning Markers to the power lines, should an approach from the Kentish Road side be attempted.
“Under AS 3891, it the responsibility of the airstrip owner to make the request.”
Playford Council will assess the application at an upcoming meeting, with many residents indicating they wished to be heard by council, in person, in regards to their submissions.
