PENINSULA Aero Club has been given the go ahead to resurface the one kilometre long north-south runway at Tyabb Airport.
The work approved by the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) includes resealing the 10 metre wide “deteriorating” runway and reconstructing and sealing its two weed infested three metre wide crushed rock shoulders.
The VCAT decision was made after the aero club sought a review of Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s failure to grant a permit within a specified time. The council told VCAT it would have granted a permit with conditions. The club asked the council for a permit for the runway works in January 2023 and then amended its application in July, including stating that the correct cost would be $350,000. Council received 50 objections from surrounding residents.
VCAT found that some of the language used in the permit application was “not precise” and “not helpful” but disagreed that sealing the runway would “significantly increase” its use. “Mere assertions in submissions are not sufficient,” the finding by VCAT deputy president Teresa Bisucci and senior member Rachel Naylor stated.
First published in the Western Port News – 19th June 2024
