A new facility proposed at Hume would aim to bolster the ACT's bushfire response, training first responders in operating heavy machinery to extinguish blazes.
If approved, the TRG Bushfire Response and Training Centre would be built on a 35,163 square-metre site, inclusive of a helipad.
Block 45 Section 3 Hume is currently owned by the ACT government but is pending direct sale and a Crown Lease to Forestrack Pty Ltd, a forestry company which already operates out of another site in Hume.
The company owns machinery such as bulldozers and excavators which are contracted to fire services during bushfires, and wants to expand into this side of the business further, Forestrack Chief Financial Officer Chris Townsend said.
"We have a lot of heavy equipment that is very suitable for ground-based firefighting ... it has all the extra guarding and fire suppression systems."
"So during the fires, all our machines are actually on the fire grounds in some of the most dangerous spots, because we can basically push dirt around, put fires out with the with the heavy equipment."
Mr Townsend said the company is attempting to expand operations in response to the "developing issue" of catastrophic bushfires such as those seen in 2019-20.
"Because we work in forestry we see well ahead of time when the fuel loads are pretty high, because we're actually seeing it every day ... out in the bush."
"So we are acutely aware of the increase in the potential for for catastrophic fires like we had in 2019-20," he said.
ACT Planning Minister Mick Gentleman previously declared the proposal must be assessed on the impact track of development applications, meaning it will undergo the broadest level of assessment.
This is due to the "noise, associated hazards relating to the operation of aircraft from the site, as well as potential impacts on surrounding land uses", a 2020 report prepared by Canberra Town Planning stated.
The helicopter would be used for forestry operations as well as in emergency situations, with an average of two in-and-out flights expected per day, or a maximum of 30-35 flights per month, the application stated.
If approved, Mr Townsend said the facility would likely take two to three years to build.
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