A petition against plans for a commercial airport at Katoomba Airfield in Medlow Bath has topped more than 12,000 signatures.
The petitions were presented to Blue Mountains MP, Trish Doyle, last week. Ms Doyle will table them in the NSW Parliament.
Ms Doyle expects the matter to be debated in the next session, which begins on May 28.
"I was presented with a petition of 10,000 signatures, which I will table in Parliament when I return for the next sitting week," she said in a statement.
"There are strong views on both sides of this debate and I encourage everyone in our community to engage in a respectful, democratic process."
The petition reads:
"The petition of Blue Mountains residents and other concerned citizens of NSW brings to the attention of the House plans to develop a commercial airport at Katoomba Airfield and proposed intrusive helicopter joy flights over the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and its associated wild rivers. We object to the issuing of such a commercial licence, associated joy flights and other commercial aircraft activity.
"The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to incorporate the Katoomba Airfield in to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, to be managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as an emergency airfield."
Derek and Floyd Larsen are hoping to secure a long-term commercial lease at the airfield.
For many years it was operated by Rod Hay, who lived on site. Mr Hay died in February, 2016, when his single engine plane crashed in scrub near the airfield.
