The Ministry of Education is satisfied with an agreement reached between parties involved in an Environment Court hearing on Queenstown airport noise and future developments.
Yesterday, the ministry withdrew from the court proceedings, which will continue in Queenstown on Tuesdaybefore Judge Jane Borthwick and commissioners David Bunting, of Wellington, and Ross Dunlop, of Auckland.
The hearing proposes to amend the existing air noise boundaries around the airport and associated district plan provisions to allow for projected airport growth through to 2037, to a forecast two million airline movements a year.
Lawyer Robert McGill, representing the ministry, stated the minister was satisfied with the agreement between the parties: the Queenstown Lakes District Council, the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC), Air New Zealand, Remarkables Park Ltd, Shotover Park Ltd and Wakatipu Residents Against Airport Noise Incorporated.
"The settlement provides a neat solution," he said.
Issues surrounding the proposed school to be built within the Remarkables Park Zone were discussed, namely the areas of the school that would be within the outer control contours of the airport.
While classrooms would be outside the appropriate 55dBA area, the school's outdoor playing areas could be placed within it.
The ministry's withdrawal follows the withdrawal on Thursday by Wakatipu Residents Against Airport Noise Incorporated, which was also satisfied with the agreement formed this week.
QAC, Remarkables Park Ltd and Air New Zealand will return next week to conclude the hearing.
Remarkables Park Ltd's managing director, Alastair Porter, said none of the Remarkables Park developed residential area or shopping centre was within the airport's new air noise boundary.
Mr Porter said a "small area" of the undeveloped residential land was included within the lower noise location of the outer control boundary.
Buildings in that location could be designed to meet combined thermal and noise-insulation requirements, he said.
