Kempsey Shire Council has disputed claims raised by the Save Kempsey Airport Action Group (SKAAG) that a secret agreement was entered into by council and the AIAC in July.
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Kempsey Shire Council general manager Craig Milburn said the AIAC was operating within the lines of the law.
“They are entitled to use the airport in line with the agreement that is in place,” Mr Milburn said.
“There is no secret agreement between Council and AIAC.”
Mr Milburn said the the majority of the agreement for use of the airport by the AIAC has been supplied to SKAAG.
“The claim that [the agreement] is secret is disingenuous,” he said.
SKAAG claims, in the statement, that an estimated $12,000 revenue generated under the agreement valued affected residents well being at $4 each.
“There are an estimated 3000 to 5000 people living within a 5km radius of the airport whose lives have been destroyed by circuit training conducted by AIAC,” president of SKAAG, Adam Ulrick, said.
Council however disputed this.
“I can ensure the community that the figures quoted by Mr Ulrick are in fact erroneous and significantly understate the payments being made by AIAC,” Mr Milburn said.
SKAAG also raised the issue of AIAC conducting flight training on public holidays earlier in the year.
“Our community members have also lodged repeated complaints to council regarding breaches by AIAC for flying over the 2017 Easter weekend, Australia Day and Labour Day public holidays in 2018 and outside night curfew hours,” Mr Ulrick said.
Council, on the two occasions the conditions were breached, took immediate action to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.
“We repeat our calls for Kempsey Shire Council to produce a thorough Environmental Impact Statement and a robust Cost Benefit Analysis to validate the continued presence of AIAC in the Macleay Valley,” Mr Ulrick said.
The matter will again be brought to attention in the November council meeting when a draft of the Noise Management Plan is presented.
“Councils current position is very well known with the development of the Noise Management Plan (NMP) in consultation with SKAAG,” Mr Milburn said.
“Staff are aiming to present the draft of the NMP to the November Council meeting.”
