Madeleine Green, Myocum
At a meeting with Council at the end of last year Skydive Australia told us that they had bought two big new buses and a bigger plane, so that they could transport all their clients from Surfers Paradise down to Tyagarah Airstrip, fly them up to parachute over Byron, then bus them straight back to Surfers.
The economic, social, environmental, cultural benefit to the residents of Byron? Nil.
Aggravation to residents, livestock, wildlife living within 5km radius of Tyagarah Airstrip? Major.
Skydive accounts for 85 per cent of airstrip usage. The rest is from a handful of local plane and balloon pilots who flout height restrictions, create more noise that a gang of Harleys flying over your house, and create the same level of aggravation to residents.
Our rates go to managing that airstrip, with no economic return for the community, but major benefits to Skydive and a very small elite group of people who own a plane or a balloon.
I’d rather my rates went to making our roads safer.
Ballina Airport is apparently expanding… let’s close Tyagarah Airstrip and shuffle the current users down there, to a very regulated zone where they will have to adhere to the rules that they have no hesitancy in flouting here. And maybe we can then use that large flat cleared area for something that benefits the whole community.
Well said Madeleine . Tyagarah airstrip is a blot on the area and waste of Byron ratepayers contributions to Council. Move the recreational activities to a well regulated airport such as Ballina.
Suerly the answer to your concerns is simply to charge landing and take-off fees, covering all tbe cost your rates apparently pay for. That is how Ballina manages its airport, providing a revenue stream for the Shire. As for the noise, and other environmental issues, it appears they are not so bad – you are happy to shift them to Ballina residents.
Madeleine I totally agree the area should be designated to wildlife re-establishment not aircraft, the Koala population suffers noise and vibration the advent of have a Koala corridor with airstrip above is ridiculous. Please move all this activity to Ballina airport which is only 10 minutes south.
Peter the Ballina airport has a buffer zone and is a commercial airstrip, with much safer facilities for aircraft, the Tyagarah region needs to allow for greater wildlife sanctuary not leisure activities. This last remaining area or ruminate rain forest needs to be preserved forever.