Orange City Council purchased eight properties between 2011 and 2016 for $11,992,000 for a range of reasons including creating a buffer zone for the long-term protection of the airport’s operation, to provide for the airport runway extension and for the proposed business park.

The decision to rezone 114 hectares of primary production and environmental management land to light industrial and business park was reversed and then completely withdrawn at last week’s meeting.

The NSW Department of Planning had been assessing the proposal.

Mayor Reg Kidd said action on the land’s future from now on was twofold. 

“We need to look at any suitable aeronautical or airport-related industries within the buffer zone,” he said.

“With the land we purchased outside that, which was the possible industrial area, we would look strategically at what we could use it for or whether we would sell it.

“In the short term, there’s obviously land out there that could be used to run livestock and generate income.”

Cr Kidd said it would be concerning if the council became stuck with the land, but he did not believe it would happen. 

“Rural land in close proximity to Orange, Millthorpe, Blayney and Spring Hill is bringing premium money at the moment,” he said. 

“I looked at 100 acres very near to Orange, it had an old weatherboard house on it and it went for $1.4 million.

“I would hope we have some good profit on them, to be quite frank.”

Cr Kidd said investigations would continue on industrial land possibilities in other locations in Orange – councillors have also voted to work with Cabonne and Blayney councils on the matter. 

Meanwhile, councillor Sam Romano has denied any Shooters, Fishers and Farmers influence in his and fellow shooter Mario Previtera’s decision to support the rescission motion.

Member for Orange Phil Donato opposed the rezoning. 

“It just didn’t add up,” Cr Romano said. 

“I couldn’t see the business case, it was a lot of maybes.”

He thought rates subsidies could help fill existing unoccupied industrial sites.