Adventure park plans approved by planning panel
Published on 24 July 2023
The Macleay Valley Recreation Adventure Park at the Kempsey Airport has taken a big step forward with approval of the Development Application.
The Northern Region Planning Panel announced the approval of the Development Application on Monday 24 July 2023.
The grant-funded adventure park will provide residents and tourists with an entertaining attraction and will include a rock climbing and sky diving centre, BMX pump track, canopy swoop pond, accommodation and more. This will be a vital economic boost for the Mid North Coast region.
Craig Milburn, General Manager Kempsey Shire Council, is excited that the project has achieved this key milestone.
"We are very pleased that a key step in the delivery of this project has been taken with the approval of the Development Application," said Mr Milburn.
"Council is now waiting to hear from the state government on our application for additional funding. This is needed to address the cost increases faced by this project like so many other projects across the shire and across the country. Once we hear the outcome of that application we will make a decision on what will be delivered be it with the existing funding or the increased amount."
The Panel determined to approve the development application pursuant to section 4.16 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, subject to conditions, for the reasons outlined in the Independent Assessment Report. The decision was unanimous.
The panel agrees the principal issues associated with the development are flooding and evacuation, on-site accommodation, noise, and traffic. They also considered the scale and form of the main building, glare and reflectivity, hours of operation, compatibility with existing airport activities, and water quality of the Swoop Pond.
They were satisfied these issues can be managed and that identified impacts can be mitigated through the conditions imposed in the approval.
In coming to its decision, the panel considered written submissions made during public exhibition and heard from all those wishing to address the panel. Issues of concern included:
- Conflict with the operations of the airport for current users
- Traffic impacts, particularly on Old Aerodrome Road
- Adequacy of the Acoustic Assessment
- Adequacy of the Flood Impact Assessment
- Scale and design of the building in relation to the surrounding rural property buildings
- Feasibility of the project and whether Council should be carrying out such a project
- Future event space shown on the plans.
The panel considers that concerns raised by the community have been adequately addressed in the Assessment Report and through the conditions imposed on the approval.
The full list of considerations and conditions can be read in the panel's Determination Statement of Reasons(PDF, 294KB).
The application was considered by the panel on Wednesday 12 July.
Due to the scale of this proposed development, the development application was referred to the Northern Regional Planning Panel for determination.
Information on the application including the DA Assessment report, draft conditions and architectural plans can be viewed on the NSW Government's Department of Planning website.
As Council submitted this development application, a consultant town planner independently assessed the project and provided advice directly to the Northern Regional Planning Panel.
You can view the development application and related documents at DP1144474 - 20 Airport Road Aldavilla NSW 2440
The next steps for the project is to move forward with designs and seek correct approvals to begin construction.
Find out more about the Macleay Valley Recreation Adventure Park