Council bought surrounding properties to extend the runway in order to take the jets that were transporting the fly-in and fly-out miners into Western Australia.

A significant amount of the funding for this project came from the local mining operation in the Orange area.

The industrial park is a different project. 

Orange City Council has submitted a proposal to rezone 313 hectares around the airport. 

This is an enormous amount of land for an industrial park. I estimate that it is approximately the size of the wider Orange CBD - to be situated 20km from Orange. 

The proposed designated site will allow for industrial development in the area’s critical environmental assets such as the key water catchment for Orange, prime agricultural land - as indicated in Orange council documentation, highly productive volcanic soils, remnant vegetation and ecologically endangered woodland. 

As a visitor to your beautiful town I would ask why would the council want to disrupt the lives of so many of the local productive agricultural communities and surrounding semi-rural residents and dramatically erode the value of the neighbouring land to rezone an area for industrial development? I have driven about the surrounding areas and I have seen a great deal of vacant industrial buildings.

My understanding is that this will increase once more of the mining fraternity are laid off and Electrolux closes.  Why would council not look at a form of consolidation of these vacant sites, beautify them, and use them for an industrial park?

No doubt the promise of employment is an influencing decision but, as we all are aware, the dynamics of traditional work, and workplaces is changing dramatically.

Robots increasingly undertake processing type work, and online retailing and purchasing from overseas manufacturers has taken the place of the need for big industrial plants.

We buy goods while drinking our coffee, eating in restaurants, while driving, and so on.  I have come to Orange as a tourist to experience the scenic beauty and wide open spaces. 

If, under the council proposal for the industrial park, I am to now be confronted by a very large industrial park when I am en route to the smaller surrounding villages, I would be very disappointed, and would choose another destination where I can experience what Australia is so famous for - hospitality, space and easy access to rurality.

Council please rethink your proposal. Save your land and water for future generations to enjoy and treasure.

Felicity Hecht, South Africa