While the focus in the last two years has been filling the anticipated void left by Electrolux later this year, there has clearly been a lot of thought put into how this proposal might look.

Certainly 25 per cent tree canopy cover, a network of connecting parks, maintained rural views and a street frontage for each business to minimise the visibility of loading docks would make the site a pleasant place to work, while cycleways around the business park linking it to Orange could make the morning commute an attractive prospect.

But the NSW Department of Planning and Environment could have a tough time assessing whether the rezoning should go ahead due to the site’s complexities, not least its role as a water catchment area and its agricultural value.

Orange City Council has outlined a number of measures to avoid groundwater contamination, from pumping sewage to Orange’s sewerage treatment plant rather than processing it onsite, to imposing conditions on prospective businesses.

Its experience with stormwater harvesting to achieve water of drinking quality should also be acknowledged when considering its intentions to process the stormwater runoff from the site.

However, the Spring Hill and Surrounding Districts Consultative Committee is also founded in its concerns that things can happen despite the best of intentions.

Another of its concerns relates to the land classified as biophysical strategic agricultural (BSA) land due to its fertile basalt soils and moderate rainfall.

The council maintains just 0.5 per cent of BSA land in Orange would be lost in a rezoning, but the department will have to weigh up whether the potential benefits are worth more than productive capacity.

With debate also continuing around whether existing industrial sites should be filled before more land is rezoned, there is still a way to go before the airport can be open for business.