Airbase Compatibility with Spatial Planning: A Case Study of Airbase Waterkloof (South Africa)

The primary roles of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are to protect and advance South Africa’s strategic interests through the promotion of security and stability, and to provide military capabilities to defend South Africa and its national interests. The South African Air Force (SAAF), as an entity of the SANDF, is mandated to defend South Africa’s airspace from unfriendly or unauthorised incursions. Noise emission and aviation safety, as products of air traffic movement, generate distinct spatial footprints. The productivity of an airbase can be negated if the unity between these footprints and the immediate built environment is not appropriately directed and managed. This can ultimately compromise an airbase’s mission readiness. This paper, with Airbase Waterkloof (which represents the largest military operational support base within South Africa) as a case study, investigates the degree of unity that exists between an airbase and its surrounding urban environment. The paper specifically focuses on the spatial footprints generated by noise emission and aviation safety as products of air traffic movement, and the legislative measures that prevail between the SANDF, SAAF, and National and Local Governments. The findings reflect that legislative measures are clearly defined, and jurisdiction is distinctively delineated. However, the integration and mitigation of matters around noise and aviation safety are perpetrated through a process of internal policies and regulations and public participation, which is not adequate when striving to attain harmony between an airbase and the surrounding built environment.