THE O'Farrell government's plans for Canberra to host Sydney's second airport are in tatters, following the approval of a big housing development in the Canberra Airport flight path, the federal government says.
The NSW Planning Minister, Brad Hazzard, will announce on Tuesday the government has agreed to rezone land for the South Tralee housing development, a controversial proposal that will allow about 2000 homes to be built south of the airport.
The Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has repeatedly rebuffed calls for a second airport in Sydney and said the expansion of Canberra Airport, accompanied by a very fast train, is his preferred option.
But the federal Infrastructure Minister, Anthony Albanese, and the management of Canberra Airport say that is impossible now that the Tralee rezoning has been approved.
"Today's decision renders his plan for Canberra as Sydney's second hub farcical and completely contradictory," said Mr Albanese. He also accused the government of deliberately making the "embarrassing" announcement on Melbourne Cup day.
"I have written to the NSW Planning Minister, Brad Hazzard, asking him to reconsider this decision," Mr Albanese said.
In a statement, Mr Hazzard said the decision was a "win-win", saying a number of conditions had been imposed on the development that meant it would not have an effect on the airport's operations or future expansion.
The approval is conditional on the footprint of the development being decreased by about 20 per cent and housing being restricted to "low noise" areas. All new homes must be insulated against noise.
“We have met the challenge of getting more housing into the Queanbeyan area and ensuring that Canberra Airport remains a 24-hour, curfew free passenger and freight hub,” he said.
Canberra Airport's managing director, Stephen Byron, disagreed, saying even the so-called "low noise" areas had been identified by the Planning Assessment Commission as inappropriate for development.
Mr Byron said a curfew was now "inevitable".
"We'll have no capacity for overflow and Sydney is back to square one with a need for a second airport," he said.
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