Mountain View County's subdivision and development appeal board has heard an appeal of an approval for the erection of a house and accessory building near an airfield in the Westcott district.The hearing opened in council chambers on Nov. 30.The property in question is located south of Highway 582 on the west side of Rge. Rd. 33 (located at NE 16-13-3-5, plan 1110629 Block 1, lot 3).The property owner is Lawrence and Pam Trenholm.The previous county approval was for the construction of a basement and the moving of a house onto the basement, and the laying of a concrete slab and moving a garage onto it.Appellant Colin Minty owns a federally registered airfield (Minty Field aerodrome, at SW 15-31-3-5) immediately to the southeast of the subject property.In his notice of appeal, Minty said, in part, “The proposed building will obstruct landing and take off of airplanes. If there is a problem with the take off or landing this can put the plane and people at risk. Generally, planes carry a full load of fuel and there is a high risk of a fire.“This development will put people at a high risk of death and can result in an impact with nearby homes and people.”During the Nov. 30 appeal board hearing, Minty reiterated his concerns.“Building a house at the end of the runway is not the right thing to do,” he said. “It's a dangerous situation to put a house at the end of a runway.”Minty submitted a number of news articles relating to recent airplane crashes, including the Nov. 28 Mountain View Gazette p. 1 story on a crash outside Carstairs on Nov. 22.Minty then asked the board to delay the hearing so he could prepare further submissions.Following a brief in-camera session the board denied the request for an adjournment.Speaking on behalf of the appellant, pilot Don Wilson said he would be concerned if the house was erected.“Putting a house at the end of the runway is not ideal,” said Wilson, who has a plane at the Minty Field. “I think it is a bit dangerous to put a house there. It is a dangerous thing.”County administration called on the board to uphold the approval of the development.The applicant has received an aeronautical obstacle clearance form for the property from Transport Canada, the board heard.Applicant/respondent Lawrence Trenholm told the board he believes the proposed development will not be a hazard and is in compliance with county guidelines and conditions.“This property has been rezoned country residential with a standard building envelope,” said Trenholm. “At the time of redesignation there was only one landing strip on Mr. Minty's land. We do not want to restrict Mr. Minty from flying his plane on his property, but we also think as landowners and taxpayers that we have the right to develop our property within the conditions and guidelines that were presented to us by the county at the time of subdivision.”Minty told the board he plans to pursue legal action if his appeal is unsuccessful.The board has until Dec. 14 to issue its ruling on the appeal. The decision had not been released at press time.
"This development will put people at a high risk of death and can result in an impact with nearby homes and people."Colin Minty
