First there was the urgent motion to Council in November last year about a company wanting a quick decision on a proposal to set up a helicopter business at Warnervale Airport.
The Liberal/Team Central Coast (8 votes) were all for a quick decision and voted to allow the CEO to go ahead and organise a lease.
They defeated the Labor/independents (7 votes) who argued for a public open tender rather than dealing with only one company and against any decision at all before a masterplan for the airport was adopted.
The defeated seven put up not one but two rescission motions to try to reverse the decision,
Both rescission motions failed 7-8.
But in the end, it’s as if they had been successful.
A report to the next council meeting, Tuesday, May 27, explains the helicopter business has decided to go to Melbourne, thanks very much.
Council was still in the due diligence stage.
And since November 2024, the councillors adopted the airport masterplan with the vote 8 – 7 as above.
The report to the councillors to the May 2025 meeting is suggesting:
# That council conducts a public Expression of Interest (EOI), and
# Negotiate finalise and enter into a suitable leasing arrangement after consultation with councillors.
The councillors will probably deal with the recommendation in one of four ways:
1/ adopt it without debate; or
2/ debate and potentially amend the recommendation and agreement reached between all 15 councillors; or
3/ debate by the seven who will try to get some sort of amendment and fail and then the original recommendation gets adopted by the eight.
4/ the item is deferred.
The report to be tabled at the meeting states that in late April the principal of the helicopter business advised Council staff in writing that: “unfortunately the timing has not worked in our favour…we have been forced to relocate to Melbourne … there have been a number of factors that influenced this decision”.
Following the withdrawal of that company, Council staff responsible for the day-today management of the airport and for its future development reviewed the feasibility of leasing out part of the airport on a long-term basis for a proactive aviation services facility that offers economic benefits to the wider Central Coast region.
Following the withdrawal of that company, Council staff responsible for the day-today management of the airport and for its future development reviewed the feasibility of leasing out part of the airport on a long-term basis for a proactive aviation services facility that offers economic benefits to the wider Central Coast region.
Council said that during the due diligence period, Council representatives were approached by a number of parties interested in presenting alternative proposals for a long-term lease and there was now a detailed set of lease arrangements suitable for the design, assessment, construction and operation of an active aviation services facility offering both a satisfactory level of commercial return and also regional economic development benefits.
“The following timeframe is put forward for consideration on an indicative basis,” Council said:
– Commence public EOI process after 1 July 2025.
– Close of EOI submissions by 30 September 2025.
– Determination of provisional preferred leasing partner by 31 October 2025.
– Briefing of Council as to preferred proposal & partner by 30 November 2025.
– Finalisation of leasing arrangements by 1 March 2026.
– Entry into long-term lease by 30 June 2026.
– Commence public EOI process after 1 July 2025.
– Close of EOI submissions by 30 September 2025.
– Determination of provisional preferred leasing partner by 31 October 2025.
– Briefing of Council as to preferred proposal & partner by 30 November 2025.
– Finalisation of leasing arrangements by 1 March 2026.
– Entry into long-term lease by 30 June 2026.
“In summary: Land is already available for the purposes of a ground lease, does not rely on further works to be done in order to be used, and is suitable for a range of aviation related purposes. Leasing it out does not impede decisions about other land at the airport,” Council said.
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