Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has received biodiversity certification for land in and around Port Macquarie Airport.

Cr Justin Levido said it was a great result, not only for the council, not only for the future but for the environment.

Biodiversity certification is a process where the Office of Environment and Heritage chief executive, as delegate of the NSW Minister for the Environment, provides approval for land to be developed, while ensuring strict conservation measures are in place to improve or maintain the overall biodiversity values of the surrounding area.

The biodiversity certification is a long-term strategic commitment by the council to manage the land in a sustainable way.

It aims to avoid and minimise the impacts on the environment including vegetation, threatened species and their habitats through offsetting the impact of any land clearing.

The approval covers an area of more than 1000 hectares including airport land and adjacent council-owned and private land.

Some of this land is already impacted due to previous development approvals with the majority of remaining land required for future airport operations under the requirements of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

The approval paves the way for future airport development to cater for forecast growth in air services and passenger numbers while ensuring compliance with CASA aerodrome standards.

The council says it is important to have the approval in place to ensure the airport can be expanded and developed over time to meet community needs and expectations for air services as our region continues to grow into the future.

Some 490 hectares of the land in the vicinity of the airport will be set aside for permanent conservation protection.

That is four times the area of vegetation that may be impacted by proposed future development.

The council has committed $2.8 million, primarily funded from the Airport Reserve, for the in perpetuity management of the proposed conservation areas.

The council acknowledges the approval includes impacts on about 80 hectares of vegetation mapped as koala habitat.

While council has avoided and minimised impacts to koala habitat wherever possible, this impact is unavoidable to ensure compliance with CASA aerodrome standards and the ongoing safety of aircraft operations at the airport.

The proposed conservation areas include about 350 hectares of koala habitat to offset this impact.

Council director Rebecca Olsen said were are a growing community and the approval secures the long-term environmental future of the area, while allowing us to deliver new facilities and infrastructure on behalf of our community.

“It supports a number of key projects that are important to our community including the upgrading of Boundary Street, providing flood-free access to the airport, future development of an airport business park and potential future road corridors such as an orbital road,” she said.

“In addition, the approval supports the development of council-owned land in Thrumster, including the Partridge Creek residential and industrial areas and West Lindfield neighbourhoods.

“This includes the required essential services for these communities including water, sewer and fire access trails.”

The approval means that council is no longer required to assess impacts to biodiversity values associated with future individual development applications associated with the certified land.

These have already been addressed by the minister through the biodiversity certification process and proposed permanent conservation measures.

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