HELICOPTERS could be touching down at Trinity Point Marina in a matter of months after Johnson Property Group landed approval for the controversial Lake Macquarie helipad. The long-running saga came to an end late last year in the Land and Environment Court, where conciliation
cleared the way for helipad’s construction and operation.
At a December 9 hearing, Senior Commissioner Susan Dixon ordered the parties to conciliation, which resulted in an “agreement as to the terms of a decision in the proceedings that would be acceptable to them”.
Commissioner Dixon then handed down the decision on December 24, subject to the conditions of consent. “While I accept that the local residents and the representatives of the sailing club association and Brightwaters Christian College hold genuine beliefs that an approval of the helipad will generate unacceptable safety and amenity concerns, the Minister is satisfied … the proposal is acceptable,” Commissioner Dixon said.
JPG chairman Keith Johnson said the helipad would be the icing on the cake for the master-planned Trinity Point, and provide an extra level of appeal. “It brings certainty,” he said. “We’ve got certainty we can get people to the international airport. It brings us inline with every other five-star resort in the Hunter Valley.”
Mr Johnson said he was “very happy” that “everything at Trinity is finally approved”. He said the helipad will be operational within “six months”.
“I just hope now the community can move forward, work together and they’ll see the benefits of it,” he said. “There’s not a five-star place in the Hunter that doesn’t have access to a helipad. It’s a necessity. We’re a law-abiding company and we will follow the conditions.
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