Comment permalink

The group pushing for Queenstown Airport to be relocated has released a report of its vision of how the airport land at Frankton could be better used.

The report — entitled "Queenstown — future as an alpine city?" — contains futuristic illustrations of a "smart city" of high-rise buildings, fountains and green spaces with a focus on "sustainability and environmental best practice urban design".

It predicts a Queenstown city of 75,000 within 50 years and the city centre on the Frankton Flats now occupied by the airport.

The report will be presented to today’s meeting of the Queenstown Lakes District Council, and Flightpath 2050 member John Hilhorst said the group will ask the council to consider it alongside several other airport-related reports.

Mr Hilhorst said that council consultant MartinJenkins suggested in its recent report the idea of a new airport "should not be cast aside.

"It looks to be the most viable option."

However, MartinJenkins had not examined the potential uses for the Frankton land left vacant, Mr Hilhorst said.

"We’re filling in the gaps.

"The actual benefits of moving the airport haven’t been investigated at all.

"They are profound benefits."

The group is also preparing two more reports, one of which will cover alternative airport sites in the Cromwell-Tarras area.

Mr Hilhorst said there were five sites that would "meet the viability criteria", one hour from Queenstown and less than an hour from Alexandra, Cromwell and Wanaka.

When released in late July, the report would not contain the specifics of the locations "simply because that’s a can of worms".

Mr Hilhorst said the group was working for the community "pro bono", and ran the risk of having its work "sidelined" by the council as a result.