REVEALED: Plans For Major Aviation Estate Development

A luxury home with a garage big enough to park your private plane and easy access to a run way – it’s an aviation enthusiast’s dream.

Plane buffs seeking a rural lifestyle a stone’s throw from the Whitsunday coastline could soon descend on the region with plans for a new, 67-lot airfield just an hour north of Mackay.

While the Lakeside Airpark at Bloomsbury has been established for many years, there are new plans for the site with a Development Application lodged with Mackay Regional Council revealing a proposed major expansion.

Cardo Mackay, on behalf of developers Mount Tyson Holdings Pty Ltd, last week lodged Development Permits for a Material Change of Use and Reconfiguring a Lot in relation to development Whitsunday Lakeside Park Estate at 61 Whitsunday Drive, Bloomsbury.

The proposal details plans to establish an integrated private airfield development including a private airstrip, associated plane storage precinct and amenities and a staged subdivision of 67 airfield park lots with right of access to the airfield as well as one airfield lot and one balance lot. Easement Y will also be created over the whole of proposed lot 606, to benefit each of the residential lots and ensure right of use of Lakeside Airpark by Whitsunday Park residents.

The 235ha development site, which is 4km east of the Bruce Highway, is currently used for a dwelling which the developer lives in, a 1km sealed airstrip, storage sheds and animal husbandry. The proposal involves formalisation of these existing facilities as a private airstrip for general aviation, rotary and fixed wing, use.

Aviation estates are a unique but growing trend in Queensland, with numerous similar developments across the state including Australia’s flagship airpark Whitsunday Aviation Village Estate (WAVE) near Airlie Beach.

The Bloomsbury development comes off the back of MRC earlier this year releasing a discussion paper, calling for expressions of interest from runway owners in expanding their facilities.

In the discussion, MRC flagged Bloomsbury as a potential site for expansion in a bid to offer aircraft owners alternatives to Mackay Airport, which at the time charged more than twice as much as its neighbours in parking and landing fees.

On February 22, 2017, MRC resolved to encourage further investigation of the airstrip and surrounding uses. There will be no landing fees for the airstrip and it is not intended to introduce landing fees, however, it is proposed that a fee will apply to aircraft storage on the site. These communally collected fees will be used towards maintenance of the airstrip and associated facilities.

Aircraft movements will be within daylight hours only. Whilst it is not proposed to cap the number of aircraft movements for any given period, it is generally expected that there will not be more than half-a-dozen on any particular day.

WHITSUNDAY LAKESIDE PARK ESTATE

Stage 1: 9 lots and new road connecting to Midge Point Road

Stage 2: 6 lots, road widening to Midge Point Road, Extend existing service road to a 3m sealed pavement. The service road is to be located within the lots and covered by a reciprocal easement. and Common access (lots 198-199) onto Midge Point Road.

Stage 3: 13 lots and Building exclusion area from within 30m of Waterhole Creek (Lots 212-216)

Stage 4: 14 lots and New road connecting to Lindeman Drive

Stage 5: 17 lots, new internal road including Waterhole Creek Crossing and building

Stage 6: 8 lots and Building exclusion area from within 30m of Waterhole Creek (Lot 225)

Lot 606: Proposed Airfield Lot, Easement Y to cover the whole of Lot 606, benefitting each lot in the development for access and plane movements, including Lot 605

Source: Daily Mercury.