Long-standing opponents of Skydive the Beach’s operations in Stuart Park have once again vowed to push for the tourism company to move its operations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Members of Wollongong’s neighbourhood forum have seized the chance to have another say over the company’s use of the North Wollongong land, after Skydive lodged a request to change some of the consent conditions for its approved but yet to be built headquarters.
This includes one stipulation which restricts parachute landings to 24 per hour (in three drops of eight), which the company says would change its existing operations and place an “impractical limitation” on the business.
Instead the company has asked to be allowed three flights each hour from planes which can hold 21 parachutes (or 10 tandem skydivers).
At next week’s neighbourhood forum meeting, member John Riggall will argue against this move, along with a case for why the company should move its operations (and not build the Stuart Park administration block) to Fairy Meadow’s Dalton Park.
In the meeting’s agenda, Mr Riggall said the group had “ratcheted up” its jumps to almost 300, which he said meant left “no time available for the public to use the Oval/Village Green, which is our right in this public park”.
Under the current restrictions which were put in place when the building was approved early this year, the company would be able to land 288 jumps over a 12 hour day.
Mr Riggall said the company’s request to remove this restriction showed it had “outgrown Stuart Park”, which his group has long argued should be left unused by commercial operators.
“It is time for Skydive to relocate to their approved site adjacent the beach on council’s land at Dalton Park east of the cycleway,” he said.
He believes the northern park offers a number of benefits, including more parking and tourism benefits for the Fairy Meadow area.
It will also free up Stuart Park for “passive recreation for the rapidly expanding city population”, and allow more events to be held at North Wollongong.
He has also suggested the “heritage cottage” from which Skydive currently operates would be available for community use.
Mr Riggall said he would ask the council to “give priority to the public interest over private profits” and said the forum would lodge a formal objection to the amended development application.
Asked to respond to Mr Riggall’s suggestion about moving to Dalton Park, Skydive CEO Anthony Ritter said “we have addressed these concerns previously and the DA was subsequently approved”.
“We will be making no further comment on this,” he said.
Mr Ritter also thanked “many supporters who have displayed their support either through social media or by other means”.
“We look forward to continuing our business in a way that makes the Illawarra proud to be associated with us as we strive to become the world leader in adventure tourism,” he said.
“When Skydive applied for the DA many years ago, we had a Cessna Caravan aircraft taking eight tandem customers per flight with up to three flights per hour.
“In the time since lodging that original application, we have invested more than $2 million in a larger Cessna Caravan aircraft, used in Wollongong, which can take up to 10 tandem customers up to three times an hour.
“We are now asking that the DA reflects the way the business currently operates, which has been in place since we listed the company on the ASX.
“When we lodged the initial DA we did not consider limits like this would be imposed on our business; we were of the belief that they would only be assessing the proposed building.
“The 21 referred to is if Skydive had 21 solo jumpers, 3 times an hour for 12 hours a day (totaling 756).
“The Wollongong dropzone is predominantly a tandem skydiving operation, not a solo jumping dropzone.
“The benefit of a larger aircraft means the company will require less flights and less drops to complete a day’s business activity.
“The same amount of people can enjoy their experience of a lifetime of tandem skydiving over the Illawarra with less impact to the users of Stuart Park as the days will be completed faster.
“To confirm, it was previously "There shall be a maximum of 3 drops per hour, with each drop having a maximum of eight parachutes".
“We are requesting an amendment to "There shall be a maximum of 3 flights per hour from which parachutes are dropped".”
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
