“Airport key to new shire jobs.” Central Coast Express Advocate, 6 March 1996.
This article presents Wyong Mayor Tony Sheridan’s case for the expansion of Warnervale Airport at a time when the project remained the subject of substantial community opposition and legal proceedings.
Sheridan framed the airport primarily as an economic development project, linking improved aviation infrastructure with employment, tourism, business travel, manufacturing and the broader growth of Wyong Shire. He compared its potential significance with railway electrification between Sydney, Gosford and Newcastle and argued that the Central Coast required a regional airport comparable with those serving Ballina and Lismore.
The article provides useful contemporary operational figures. Sheridan stated that Warnervale was averaging approximately 60 aircraft movements per day and predicted this would increase to between 70 and 80 following the upgrade. He contrasted these figures with approximately 160 movements at Ballina and 1,125 at Bankstown and suggested Warnervale could absorb some of Bankstown Airport’s surplus activity.
The article also demonstrates the intensity of the debate surrounding the proposed airport. Sheridan rejected claims that Warnervale could become a freight hub capable of handling Boeing 747 aircraft and maintained that the development was intended as a regional aerodrome rather than an airport comparable with the proposed Badgerys Creek facility. He also rejected concerns about widespread aircraft noise, arguing that most residents would experience no impact and that effects elsewhere would be minor.
Importantly, the article was published immediately before another Land and Environment Court challenge to Wyong Shire Council’s airport plans. It therefore records the council leadership’s position at a critical stage in the continuing planning and legal dispute over the future of Warnervale Airport.
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