Residents dispute noise-zone move

Prohibiting new development near Christchurch International Airport is not the way to stop noise complaints, Environment Canterbury (ECan) has been told.

A legal delegation representing about a dozen Christchurch landowners fronted up at ECan's council meeting yesterday, concerned at the move to expand Christchurch International Airport Ltd's (CIAL) zone of influence based on noise contours.

They say ECan has only heard the airport company's side of the story and that a proposed planning variation decided behind closed doors last month to delete all greenfield areas within a new 50 decibel (dBA) line is excessive and unequalled at any other airport in the world.

Last month, ECan determined the variation to the regional policy statement (RPS) would be notified at the end of next month.

Goodman Steven Tavendale Reid resource management lawyer Alanya Limmer told the council choosing a 50dBA contour would put severe land use restrictions on about 13,900ha, compared with about 5750ha if the 55dBA line was used.

The Environment Court had already determined the 55dBA line was sufficient to protect the airport and that it was also an adequate boundary in terms of the effects of noise on health.

No other RPS in the country had taken such a position on the issue, and no other airport in the world had "the benefit of land-use controls such as those proposed for Canterbury", Limmer said.

"These landowners had no indication that the airport noise contours would be moving and even less that any future development potential of their land would be eliminated by the regional policy statement as a consequence."

Sydney acoustic engineer Rob Bullen told councillors most complaints about airport noise came from outside the 50dBA contour and did not correlate directly with the proportion of people suffering from "noise reaction".

"A high level of complaints is often where there has been a problem between the airport and residents, where the airport has not had an open policy of consulting with residents. Where they have consulted, my experience is complaints tend to disappear."