AIR CARGO: Council has hopes for a freight airport.
WYONG Shire Council has adopted the "Steve Bradbury approach" in its bid to have a major freight movement airport built at Wallarah.
Just as Bradbury hung on to win Australia's first Winter Olympic gold medal in 2002 when the leading speed skaters fell before the finish line, the council has prepared a case for the federal government to site the freight airport at Wallarah in the event that four other mooted sites for the airport are rejected.
Council's general manager Michael Whittaker said that though Wallarah was named in a joint federal-state governments report as the fifth most favoured site for a second Sydney airport, the council had nevertheless made its submission to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
"We've tried to tick all the boxes with our fresh submission to the government so you never know," he said.
Mr Whittaker said that in its submission the council had slightly altered the northern and western boundaries of the airport site that had formerly been considered by the joint governments report so that any flight path would avoid air space above the proposed Warnervale town centre.
The new boundary would partially cross into Lake Macquarie City Council land near Wyee.
Mr Whittaker said that at this early stage the council had not consulted with the neighbouring council or the public on its submission.
It would instead wait until the government's reaction to the submission was received.
He said the proposed freight movement airport initially would have a runway length of between 1800 metres and 2400 metres.
Mayor Bob Graham said the Wallarah option could lead to a compromise choice between the NSW and federal government on the controversial second Sydney airport decision.
"Premier (Barry) O'Farrell said there would be no second airport in the Sydney Basin but Wallarah is well out of the basin," Cr Graham said.
