28 November 2007

Snow Town (Canberra Airport) prepping for even more growth.

| Jonathon Reynolds
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It appears that Canberra Airport is preparing to go 24/7 as a regional freight hub based on an article in the Canberra Times and copies of the CIA Masterplan.

According to the CT article: “Australia’s largest airport and primary freight destination, Sydney Airport, is constrained by an overnight curfew and is reaching capacity, prompting Canberra Airport to develop the biggest freight hub in eastern Australia over the next 20 years.

I guess the upshot of this is there will be even more office development out at the airport that will side skirt the territorial planning regime (depriving the various town centres any additional office based employment), potentially more aircraft noise as more planes will be flying 24/7 (even though it is cleverly disguised by the ANEF standards), and finally continuation of the ubiquitous traffic problems past the airport precinct (even though some road upgrades are planned).

Members of the public are invited to give written comments about the Preliminary Draft to Canberra International Airport within 60 business days after the publication of the notice. Comments may be submitted in writing to:

Canberra International Airport
1/2 Brindabella Circuit
Canberra Airport ACT 2609

Contact: Alison Howship
Telephone: (02) 6275 2291

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Who cares who paid for the tar?? If Stanhope had not permitted him to build the access to the existing roads he couldn’t have done it – and the whole thing would have died in the arse.

Stanhope can’t bleat about unchecked development when his government facilitated it!

Gungahlin Al9:27 am 30 Nov 07

JC: Bob McMullan did commit at our Gungahlin Community Council meeting to finding out the conditions of the contracts of sale of the federal airports, to determine whether there is in fact anything that can be done to rein in airport development. But he did say that he expected not.

His alternative solution was he said to “starve them of new government tenants” through central oversight of departmental accommodation.

Steve, Jonathon wont answer the questions. But we remember how he attacked “Working mothers” (c).

Do Liberals like Jonathon eat babies? How else to explain the 33% support they have in Canberra?

Snow knew that before hand. Why do you think he brought the place. It is not as if you make a heap of money off the aircraft coming into Canberra.

As for Stanhope and the bit of tar, didn’t the airport pay for that half arsed job? I guess thats the problem though, if the governement doesn’t allow for it or put in some of its own money then the stupid public turns around and blames the government not Snow.

Snow is dangeous and self centred. Just listen to the pipe dreams about CBR airport. Everyone knows Canberra will never be and can never be a 2nd airport for Sydney (even with fast rail) and the international market for CBR is limited to NZ at best. Talks of flights to Singapore and Asia are a pipe dream. Who would want to fly on an A320/737 (about the larges a/c size that you could justify) when you will have to stop somewhere along the way. You may as well fly to Sydney and get a big more comfortable aircraft.

It’s a crazy situation, isn’t it? The guy’s out of control, and he’s on the fast track to making lots and lots of money. And we all pay for it, one way or another. Mother of all traffic snarls out there today. That road used to run freely, even in rush hour.

And Snow’s obviously discovered that there’s more money in property development than in aviation, so the reason for the airport existing gets lip service.

but things’ll change when he can bring in those jumbos from Singapore at 2am.

Jonathon Reynolds3:26 pm 29 Nov 07

@Thumper

Exactly my point… it will be interesting to see exactly how the Kevin Rudd concept of “Cooperative Federalism” works in instances such as this.

If Stanhope is against the unchecked development of the airport, why did the ACT govt give Snow access to the roads to build the umpteen roundabouts?? The way to kill a cancer is to cut off its blood supply – no new access points would have meant that all of the traffic into and out of the new development would have had to go through the two way entry to the airport – and I reckon that there would have been few takers if that was the case.

V8 there is nothing Stanhope can do it is a Federal issue because it is a federal airport and they are the ones that allow more or less carte blanche development. It is a loop hole that only Rudd can now fix. The ACT gov are just caught in the middle because they have to fix the transport problems it creates.

S4anta, thing you missed the point. I was trying to point out that the runway improvements which were needed were funded by Howard not Snow.

What has Snow done in the way of investment at the airport? Yep offices and Brand Depot. Where has he invested serious money into anything aviation related, the whole idea of the airport.

Real major cities have airport curfews.

It makes Canberra more like a country town with an airport in a paddock to have no curfew.

I already get aircraft noise, and I don’t want more of it all through the night.

JC, dont mean to sound like a fuddy duddy, but i would prefer that the run way of any airport i use to absorb most of the costs of the project. Trying to land a 747 on a paddock, or a short/shoddy runway would be like trying to pick your nose with an electric eel (the plumbers tool and the animal).

So maybe some people in this town (ie our elected representatives) need to sit down and sort out a solution to this mess. But I guess that would be expecting the Stanhope government to achieve some kind of:
a) sensible and useful dialogue with the Feds, and
b) an outcome.

I think the big problem is that Snow can do what he likes without any planing aproval from either the federal os state governments. He can build a factory outlet centre without any aproval then lodge an objection when someone outbids him and wants to do one properly.

He can build endless office space without any aproval. Then tries to throw his two bobs worth on the development of the city.

Airports should be for landing aircraft at and getting people and goods on and off. They are not for non aviation related offices or shopping.

I ask you how much improvement has this clown done to the terminal since he took over. The only improvements I see are on the runway, but most of this was given by the fool Howard to make it possible for his mate George W to land a 747.

It isn’t being done for the good of Canberra, it is all being done for the good of snow.

Oh when it comes to local politics the issue is simple. If someone buys land and then develops it in the ACT they are required to chip in money to improve the transport access. But no Snow brought it from the feds and doesn’t have to chip in a cent if he doesn’t want to.

Rudd is the only one who can change the laws which is to make airports subject to local planing laws. Having said that the problem is clear we would then get no genuine aviation related development.

Guys, Canberra is the capital city of Australia. I’m surprised it isn’t already a 24 hour hub.

And the airport has been there since the 1920’s… not to expect it to grow is not only naive, but completely stupid.

and also, how come you have not yet addressed any of the points raised in relation to the “stanhope starts to panic” article. I would thought as a concerned gungahlin resident you’d be all over it!

So Jonathon, what do the ACT Liberals think about this?

I just hope some of the politicans involved in the original sale of the airport, who arrive in the VIP jets at Fairbairn get stuck in the traffic.

I believe most of them won’t be returning to Canberra anymore.

Is Terry Snow even an ACT resident?

Yes he is.

The road work to be run by the airport won’t fix the traffic bottlenecks, it’ll just move them down to the areas around Majura, Moreshead, and Fairbairn Ave. What it will do is make a grander entrance to the airport. Our taxes will pay for most of it anyway, and Federal Labor said they kick in money to extend the works and make them more useful.

I love the way that objections are to be sent to…. the airport. Not some umpire, some independant arbiter. Nope, you send them to the airport. I wonder what that will do?

The argument against Snow is that he is making money at the expense of many Canberrans:
Those who have to pay to work at the airport

As opposed to those who have to pay to work in Civic, Woden, Belconnen or Tuggeranong.

Those who have to drive anywhere near the airport

As opposed to those who have to drive anywhere near Gunghalin, Woden, Hume, Calwell, Civic etc during the 15min peak hour

Pialligo who are having their front yards resumed to build roads to the airport

Actually, no land is being resumed and in any case it is closer to backyards, not frontyards.

Northside/tuggers residents who have to listen to the planes

As opposed to Tralee developers who will make a motsa if they can sell their land in the current noise corridor.

And now potentially we will have to be woken up by their planes in the middle of the night.

Only if the airport loses its noise corridor and has to implement noise sharing.

OpenYourMind25:33 pm 28 Nov 07

I just hope some of the politicans involved in the original sale of the airport, who arrive in the VIP jets at Fairbairn get stuck in the traffic.

With an extra 1000 people working at Fairbairn, the intersection of Glenora Dr and Fairbairn Ave is sure to be the site of a serious accident before too long.

I like how Mr Snow is estimated to be worth half a billion is throwing a lousy 4million toward the project to rectify the road chaos he has created and ACT residents have to wear.

Is Terry Snow even an ACT resident?

Yeah, but think of the benefits: pizzas might be $5 cheaper if they can fly the supplies right into Canberra at 4am! 🙂

The argument against Snow is that he is making money at the expense of many Cnaberrans:

Those who have to pay to work at the airport
Those who have to drive anywhere near the airport
Pialligo who are having their front yards resumed to build roads to the airport
Northside/tuggers residents who have to listen to the planes
And now potentially we will have to be woken up by their planes in the middle of the night.

and if the retuen arguement is based around cash revenues not going to the public, CAG is a listed company so suck it in and buy shares.

Don’t have a problem. If the Snows can take on the ACT Government and win (while many others do have the tenacity, cash or collective intelligence) I fail to see why most canberrans are up in arms about a few other canberrans trying to kick start an economy that the government cannot.

I was hoping that Snow might ask the USAF to base some of their B-52s in Canberra – that’d be awesome! 🙂

Jonathon Reynolds12:27 pm 28 Nov 07

@sepi,

I was thinking about that… I wonder if Stanhope will leverage the fact that there is Labor at both ACT and Federal levels to get the relevant legislation amended so that the Territory once again assumes control for planning at the Airport?

bugger.

If stanhope hates snow, why doesn’t he legislate against this?

A related article in the CT talks about low cost carriers bringing more tourism to the ACT. Given the current state of getting a taxi at Canberra Airport, you would have to feel sorry for any increased numbers of people arriving here.

Also, how long do we think it will be till we come to know the place as “Snow and Friends Absolute Bonanza of rental properties that incidentally have a runway between them” rather than Canberra Airport?

Joe Canberran11:55 am 28 Nov 07

Do you realise that by using the phrase “CIA Masterplan” you’ll now be attracting all the kinds of freaks and conspiracy cranks via Google?

Cool 😉

Do you realise that by using the phrase “CIA Masterplan” you’ll now be attracting all the kinds of freaks and conspiracy cranks via Google?

I guess the upshot of this is there will be even more people with barrows to push.

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