SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND SPORT AIRCRAFT CLUB INCORPORATED
(SEQSAC) AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF KILCOY AIRFIELD.
SEQSAC was formed and incorporated in 1989 at a private airfield near Morayfield. It was formed by a group of sport aviation enthusiasts who sought to pursue their common flying interests and to procure an airfield as a base to store their private aircraft.
The tenure of SEQSAC at Morayfield private airfield was limited, so the club commenced immediately searching for a new airfield in the Brisbane region.
The club investigated availability of an airstrip at Kilcoy located on grazing lease land owned by The Brisbane and Area Water Board. The airstrip had been constructed originally in the early 1980's by a group of local residents, and the Kilcoy Airfield Association Incorporated was formed. The grazier lessee (Mr D J Turner) had granted a certain license agreement in 1988 to the airfield association for the operation of an airstrip. It is understood plans by the association to form a flying group at Kilcoy failed when it could not raise sufficient capital. The airstrip remained unused for some time. In 1989 a new license agreement between the grazier, the Airfield Association Inc. and the Kilcoy Shire Council, terminated the original agreement and gave license to Council to operate and maintain the airstrip.
In 1990 SEQSAC negotiated with Kilcoy Shire Council and the Water Board to take over the Kilcoy strip for the club's operations. The club also requested an additional area of 5.3 hectares adjacent to the airstrip to be released for use as an airpark, where aircraft hangars and associated facilities could be built. A concept plan for the airfield was developed by SEQSAC and submitted for consideration during those negotiations. Since the grazing lease period was current until 2002, the club paid the grazier an amount of $10,000 and the total airfield area was acquired through a deed of agreement. Under the agreement SEQSAC handed over the airfield to Kilcoy Shire Council on condition that Council subleased the airpark area back to the club. A land survey for lease purposes was then conducted. In December1991 a lease for the enlarged airfield to Kilcoy Shire Council for a period of 30 years was raised. The Water Board issued a general consent for sublease of the airpark to SEQSAC. The sublease commenced in January 1992.
In June 1992 the Water Board approved the format of a subsublease document for use by SECSAC when hangars approved for construction on the airpark sublease could be secured by aircraft operators. Applications for construction of the first two hangars were then submitted. The first subsubleases were issued to aircraft owners within those two hangar buildings.
Both of the hangars were of a "T" design, with separate aircraft spaces in each building. Each aircraft space was a separate subsublease, with the building jointly owned by the aircraft operators. The club has since moved away from that concept to a more conventional arrangement of a single subsublease for each hangar unit. Any future hangars will be leased in that manner.
In 2000 a revised development plan for the airfield was considered and approved by Council.
It is understood that at no stage during the clubs occupation of Kilcoy airfield was there any town planning strategy developed. In 2004 SEQWater (the former Water Board) declined to approve construction of any further hangar builIndings until all town planning considerations had been addressed, a development control plan produced, and a management plan established for the airfield.
During the next three years SEQSAC worked together with a town planner, SEQWater and Kilcoy Shire Council to create a development project for the airfield. In 2007 Council approved a material change of use (MCU) which enabled the development plan to proceed. In July 2008 the development application was approved and the project to build more hangars commenced. The MCU and the development approval was for a specifically limited number of hangars.
Utilisation of the airfield is limited to recreational use only under terms of the headlease. There can be no commercial enterprises conducted on the airfield. SEQSAC is not an aero club. It is a body corporate that runs an airpark, which provides the basic facility for private aircraft operators to conduct their operations.
December 17 2016 the committee signs a transfer of lease document from Somerset Regional Council to SEQSAC.
This gave the Club a lease over the entire strip and hangar precinct, directly from SEQWater with the included option.
Left to Right Mal Shipton (President) Doug Muir (Vice President) Dick Hay (Committeeman) and John Adams (Secretary).
Also present Mark Foy who took this photo.