CCAC HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

Warnervale as Major Airport

June 29, 1977

Source Citation:

Central Coast Express Advocate, 29 June 1977, “Warnervale as Major Airport”.

Exceptional Historical Significance
Major turning point. Records the formal decision by Wyong Shire Council to develop Warnervale as the Central Coast's future general aviation airport. A cornerstone planning document.

This article marks one of the most significant milestones in the history of Warnervale Airport. After several years of debate over possible airport locations and repeated planning disputes, Wyong Shire Council formally endorsed the long-term development of Warnervale Airfield as the Central Coast’s future general aviation airport.

The decision represented a transition from discussion to official planning policy. Warnervale was confirmed as one of only two sites identified by the Gosford-Wyong Steering Committee as suitable for a major regional airfield, with staged development proposed to accommodate immediate light aircraft operations and future expansion into a larger general aviation facility.

Importantly, the article also reveals that council was beginning to protect land surrounding the airport from incompatible residential development through designated noise effect zones and land acquisition planning. These measures demonstrate that authorities were now planning for the airport’s long-term future rather than simply considering whether it should exist.

The report also highlights the continuing conflict with the privately operated Warner Avenue airfield, noting that any future east-west runway at Warnervale could affect its operations. The Planning and Environment Commission’s earlier reservations about permanently licensing Mr. Parry’s airfield reinforced the growing recognition that Warnervale was becoming the preferred strategic aviation site for the region.

This article represents a turning point in the archive, documenting the moment when Warnervale evolved from a proposal into an officially recognised component of the Central Coast’s long-term planning strategy.

WARNERVALE AS MAJOR AIRPORT Warnervale airfield is to be developed for future use as a general aviation field. The expanding role for the existing strip and airways facilities at Warnervale was decided at Wyong Shire Council’s last meeting. Warnervale is one of two sites on the Central Coast selected by the Gosford-Wyong Steering Committee as suitable for large airfields. The other is at Mt. Penang in Gosford Shire. The Warnervale field is to be developed adjoining the existing runway for use by light aircraft in the short term, with the potential for use as a general aviation field in the long term. The present runway is north-south. The future development of an east-west runway will be subject to future demand. Council last Wednesday adopted its town planning committee’s recommendations. Dwellings will not be allowed to be built on any of the properties within the designated boundary, nor within the area subject to the Noise Effect Zone for the north-west runway. Information about the possible east-west runway will be sent to the NSW Planning & Environment Commission for investigation and report back to Council. Shire Clerk (Mr J. Dawson) was authorised to prepare a report, including cost, of acquiring the land needed for the proposed improvements to the existing north-south runway, after consultation with Wyong Aero Club. However the flight path for any east-west runway at Warnervale would impinge on a small privately operated airfield near Wyong. This is the one operated by Mr Parry, to the west of Warner Avenue. While Council has approved of Mr Parry’s airfield, the P.E.C. advised in 1974 that it had “reservations” about the permanent licensing of this field.
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