WITHDRAWAL of the skydiving DA for Jaspers Brush will be welcome news to the many thousands of residents of the Berry, Bomaderry, Shoalhaven Heads area whose peace would have been shattered by the proposal. Under existing zoning, skydiving is a prohibited activity, and the proposal faced not only strong community opposition but major legal hurdles. Despite this, the outgoing council went to great lengths to approve the skydiving proposal, and it was only abandoned after considerable community action and expense.

Council is in the process of preparing a new Local Environmental Plan, under which existing zones in the Shoalhaven will be replaced. On no account should this be used to approve skydiving at Jaspers Brush “through the back door”. The airfield at Jaspers Brush is in the middle of a peaceful rural area, and we will continue to vigorously oppose any attempts to impose skydiving on us.

It is to be hoped that the incoming council handles the rezoning, and any future proposals for skydiving at Jaspers Brush, in accordance with the mandatory planning principles, and with the proper levels of accountability, transparency, impartiality and fairness which we ratepayers are entitled to expect. Central to this process would be preparation of an environmental impact assessment, to assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of any proposed aircraft activity. Otherwise, it is likely any approval will be the “thin edge of the wedge”, and activities at the airfield will be ratcheted up over time, until we have a full-blown airport in our midst. Who, apart from the airfield operator, wants that?

J. Fingleton,

Far Meadow.