Noise Effects In Airport Region

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31597, 7 February 1968, Page 14

Noise Effects In Airport Region

The degree to which noise from the Christchurch International Airport could affect homes in the vicinity was discussed at a Town and Country Planning Appeal Board hearing yesterday.

The Christchurch Regional Planning Authority’s planning officer (Mr K. Tyler) said that noise from the airport would grow as jet services were extended and there was more night testing of jet engines. The airport was a pilot-train-ing centre and bad a main repair depot.

“I have been told by a man who lives a mile away that he doesn’t hear anything,” said the chairman (Mr J. W. Kealy, S.M.).

“It will grow, and others find the noise very distressing,” said Mr Tyler. “Overseas, it has been found that people living within a mile of an airport tend to take group action about noise. There is less effect up to two miles away.” “All jets cause trouble,” he said, when asked if the problem would not be so great with short-haul aircraft. Mr Tyler said he had not heard of complaints of noise from guests at the White Heron Lodge or the Russley Hotel. Maybe people were more tolerant Over a short period. Complaints had come from residential areas. The case was one in which Kendal Farm, Ltd (Mr A. K. Archer), appealed against a Waimairi County Council decision not to allow residential subdivision of eight acres and a half of land owned by the company at Roydvale Avenue, a mile from the airport. After hearing submissions, Mr Kealy said that the appeal would be disallowed. The position would have been substantially different if it had been shown that the Crown had definitely decided to use surrounding land for houses. “The county was bound to refuse, because the proposed subdivision would have contravened the Regional Authority’s scheme, and is outside the urban fence.” said Mr Archer. "But the board has power to change an unsatisfactory zoning, which is so in this case.”

Mr Archer said the land was in a unique position because it had the Russley

Hotel to the south, a school to the north, residential lots along its frontages, and State housing land at the rear. Town-planning principles would not be offended by allowing the subdivision. Mr G. A. Hutcheson, a director and principal shareholder of the company, said he did not think airport noise would deter people. The council’s town-plan-ning officer (Mr R. M. Parker) said that 16 acres of Crown land to the west had been sold to the Russley Golf Club. Crown land to the north had been rezoned light industrial, and five acres of Crown land had been sold to the Russley Hotel. To Mr Kealey, he said he thought the land would be permanently maintained outside the urban fence. Mr Tyler said the subdivision would create 39 sections in an area in which urban uses should not be allowed As there were 8300 acres of land zoned for urban purposes inside the urban fence, but not so used, there was no urgent need for more urban land.

Mr J. E. Ryan appeared for the council.