Wellington Airport designations
A designation is a planning tool used to ‘spot zone’ an area to authorise the ‘requiring authority’ (in this case Wellington Airport) to carry out works and activities without the need for land use consent from the local council.
The process begins when a requiring authority notifies the local council that an area of land is to be designated for a public work, and if approved, it is then identified in the council’s district plan and known as a ‘designation’. This often includes agreement on how the works and/or activities are carried out.
Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) has four designations, which are in the Wellington City Council District Plan:
Title: Airspace in the vicinity of Wellington International Airport
Purpose: Protects the Airports Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS)
- Operative District Plan Designation # and link to conditions: G2
- Proposed District Plan # and link to conditions: WIAL 1 Conditions
Title: Airport Purposes – Miramar South Area
Purpose: Allows for the development of airport ancillary activities on former Miramar South School site
- Operative District Plan Designation # and link to conditions: G4 Conditions
- Proposed District Plan # and link to conditions: WIAL 2 Conditions
Title: Airport Purposes – Main Site Area
Purpose: Provides for the continuation and development of the existing airport
- Operative District Plan Designation # and link to conditions: G5 Conditions
- Proposed District Plan # and link to conditions: WIAL 4 Conditions
Title: Airport Purposes – East Side Area
Purpose: Allows for the expansion of Wellington Airport apron eastwards over the southern half of the Miramar Golf Course
- Operative District Plan Designation # and link to conditions: G6 Conditions
- Proposed District Plan # and link to conditions: WIAL 5 Conditions
The District Plan links to the conditions relating to each of these designations are provided in the table above, or they can be downloaded/viewed as PDF’s under the detail outlined below.
OBSTACLE LIMITATION SURFACE DESIGNATION
Wellington Airport has had an Airspace Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) Designation in the Operative District Plan since 1999, and this OLS designation is included in the Wellington City Council’s Proposed District Plan. Find out more about the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) Designation and what it means for you here.
Main Site Area Designation
In 2022, Wellington Airport secured an ‘Airport Purposes’ designation over its current landholdings/operational areas, as shown below.
This means that the site can continue to be used by the Airport for its activities and enables us to establish a more efficient and flexible planning framework for existing and future airport activities.
Under the designation, the airport is divided into a series of development precincts. The nature and form of these precincts differs slightly and this is reflected in the types of activities that can occur within each area and the conditions or limitations those activities might be subject to.
The Designation requires the Airport to prepare a number of management plans and other documents to be certified by the Wellington City Council. These are currently being prepared and will be published once finalised.
Main Site Area Designation Conditions
Draft Urban Design Principles
Condition 15 of this designation requires the airport to prepare Urban Design Principles for the Terminal Precinct. You can view our draft Urban Design Principles here.
MIRAMAR SOUTH AREA DESIGNATION
(Former Miramar South School Site)
In 2021, Wellington Airport secured an ‘Airport Purposes’ designation over the former Miramar South School site on the block enclosed by Broadway, Kauri St, Kedah St and Miro St in Miramar.
The site can be used by the Airport for activities such as airport related vehicle storage, maintenance and grooming, flight catering, and freight facilities. The site will not be used for any form of aircraft operations.
Miramar South Area Conditions PDF
As a part of the requirements of the designation, the Airport has compiled an Integrated Designation Management Plan (IDMP) and a Traffic Management Plan. These documents will guide how we develop the site including landscaping and building design requirements, traffic management and an outline of the proposed development stages. These plans have been certified by the Council.
The Wellington City Council certification of the IDMP can be found here.
A full copy of the certified IDMP can be found here.
A full copy of the certified Traffic Management Plan can be found here.
STAGE 1 DEVELOPMENT
(Rental Car Storage Area and Airport Bus Stabling/Charging Area)
Stage 1 for the development of the site is complete. Further information regarding this project can be found here.
EAST SIDE AREA DESIGNATION
In 2022, Wellington Airport secured an ‘Airport Purposes’ designation over the southern half of the Miramar Golf Club in the area shown below. The development of this area will occur incrementally over the next 20 years as demand for this space requires. The allowable activities on this site (subject to the conditions outlined in the designation) are:
- Aircraft operations and associated activities
- Taxiways, aprons and aircraft movement activities
- Navigation and safety aids etc
- Car parking, roads, accessways, pedestrian ways, and three-waters infrastructure
- Security fencing, landscaping, planting, tracks and trails
- Any demolition, construction and earthworks activities
- Servicing, testing, maintenance of any of the above activities.
- Ancillary activities, buildings and structures
The picture below shows where these activities might be developed in the future.
East Side Area Designation Conditions PDF
The Designation requires the Airport to prepare a number of management plans and other documents to be certified by the WCC prior to any development of this land.
Condition 4 of the designation requires the airport to prepare a Landscape and Visual Management Plan (LVMP). The draft LVMP can be viewed here.