Evans Head Airfield about to close?

[extralite]

Quite a few might have visited Evans Head airfield for their annual airshow. Large ex-military strip on the North Coast popular with RA now. It was quietly sold earlier this year by RIchmond Valley Council. North Coast land values are very high now. The airfield already has developments on the perimeter. It is flat, has infrastructure including a main sewer line and roads into it. I'd estimate it to be  30 hectares of very desirable land. It has a heritage hangar.

 

It was quietly sold by Richmond Valley Council. The details are buried on page 76 of the May minutes.  https://richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Agenda-19-May-2020.pdf But it got sold for $3million. No tender for it that i could find in the last 7 years. I wrote to Richmond Council to see if they got more than one valuation as this seems absurdly low and a tender i am quite sure would have got multiples of $3m. Thais only about 6 housing blocks up this way.  Got the standard "commercial in confidence'. Agreements around the "heritage" aspect of it also seem a bit opaque now.

 

Chatting with a couple of people who used to hangar aircraft there, they have apparently been booted already.  The rumor is the land is now being readied to be on sold to developers.

 

Anyone from here at Evans who can confirm if the airfield is closing? The sale process for this land seems very strange. No recent tender. No publicity. Maybe one valuation but that unclear also. And finally a price that is not much more than half a dozen housing blocks, for a very big parcel of land.

Edited November 2, 2020 by extralite

[old man emu]

From The Northern Star  23rd December 2009

 

Evans Head Airpark Pty Ltd is headed up by a team of high-profile people.

They include Peter Lynch, president and chief executive of Waratah Coal, whose company is involved with the Galilee Basin mining project. If approved, it would be one of Australia’s biggest mining projects, worth $7.5 billion.

Former Olympian and champion ironman Grant Kenny is also part of the consortium. He is the owner of the nation’s largest private aviation operator, the Curry-Kenny Aviation Company.

Other team members include Red Bull air race pilot Matt Hall, accountant Duncan Cornish, environmental professional Mark Imber, communications firm director Andrew Crook and aircraft maintenance engineer Mark Radford.

Their proposal incorporates at least 60 exclusive homes with direct access to flying facilities and an industrial complex for aviation-linked businesses.

It would also have a museum, private hangar space, a motel, convention centre and camping facilities.

 

That was then. what is the plan now?

[extralite]

Thats ancient history unfortunately and Peter Lynch died in the Mallard accident in Perth. Consortium who took over estate did the negotiation to get the land.  Plan now seems to be close it, put housing blocks on it as land values are very high. Happy to be contradicted though. I used to love flying to Evans Head.

[Yenn]

Would the airstrip have been government owned years ago and vested with the local government, supposedly for aviation use, but that has all been ignored by government. Too hard to think about it and anyway someone is making a buck so government is happy.

[old man emu]

Evans Head Airpark Pty Ltd is still a registered company.

 

Is this mob still active? https://ehham.org.au/

[facthunter]

Another aerodrome disaster. it will continue  while ever money trails are not investigated . It appears NO aerodrome is safe. Anything standing in front of Big Dough goes west. Nev

[kgwilson]

Evans Head Airpark Pty Ltd is still that but some directors etc have changed. The cross runways have been closed so 18/36 (the main runway) is now the only runway. The museum is still operating and it is still planned to develop Aviation housing there. The Great Eastern Flyin has been cancelled next year due to Covid concerns but apparently Matt Hall & others are organising an airshow in early 2021. Reported cost of entry was $90.00 so I'd be staying outside if I was going to go.

 

It was sold to the present developers George Lefteri and Evans Head Airpark Pty Ltd in April 2020 & a development DA has been lodged with Richmond Valley Council. There were changes to directors lodged with ASIC in June 2020 so the current shareholders are not known at this stage. You can find out if you want to pay though. 

 

Details below. This is from Hanlons Consulting website.

 

"The Development Application for the Evans Head Airpark was lodged this week with Richmond Valley Council. This follows extensive discussions and work with Council since the preliminary development application was lodged in December 2015.

Specifically, the project is a community title development comprised of the following features:

Local commercial and recreational aerodrome;

Small scale commercial uses and community facilities associated with the aerodrome;

Museum for military aviation and community groups;

Residential airside precinct with direct access to flying facilities;

26 residential lots on the western side (museum precinct);

59 residential lots on the eastern side (residential precinct); and

23 commercial/industrial/private hangars.

Aircraft maintenance and support hub; and

Boutique hotel and convention centre

Development approval is sought under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPA Act). Development permissibility is available under the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007 and the heritage incentive clause of the Richmond Valley Local Environment Plan 2012. The development triggers the integrated approval provisions of the EPA Act for the Heritage Act, the Roads Act and the Rural Fires Act. An exemption has been sought from NSW Planning under State Environmental Planning Policy 71 Coastal Protection.

Richmond Valley Council is the assessment body with the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel being the determining body."

[extralite]

Thanks..I have spoken personally to two pilots who used to fly and hangar their aircraft at Evans Head and have been in their words "kicked out".  Last I checked the access gate was also locked at the perimeter. Wondering how that fits in to the above blurb about aviation.

 

I find it hard to take anything there at face value really. $3m for the whole airfield, no tender process at least in seven years. Its a huge parcel of land but its sale was kept pretty quiet. Apparently for the former flying residents, the new owners pretty much said get out.

[kgwilson]

It is difficult to determine what is going on as the directors of Evans Head Airpark are not the same as those who began the negotiations for the purchase 5 years ago. The price may have been negotiated back in 2015 when the process began. Who were the hangar occupiers paying their rent to? Were rates being paid to the Council.? What is the role of the Museum Association? Evans Head Airpark Pty Ltd do not have an active website. Hanlons points to a non existent website evansheadairpark.com.au which may be the domain they have purchased but have not created anything yet, possibly because they are awaiting the results from the DA application.