With 200 passenger flights a week using the airport, councillors this week approved the design of a $4.6 million new car park to be built next year.

General manager Les Tomich yesterday confirmed that staff had flagged further big-ticket items including upgrading the main runway and extending the terminal building.

An overlay for the 1900m runway could cost $3.5 million and is earmarked for 2010-11, while extending the terminal means another $5 million, probably in 2011-12.

Mayor Alice Glachan opened the upgraded terminal on October 22 after $5 million was spent on new lounges, a cafe, a $843,000 security upgrade, a $449,368 baggage conveyor system and $310,000 on a locked car park.

Barely six months ago the council budgeted $1.6 million to spend on a new general car park this financial year but on Monday the engineering and works committee committed to spending $4.6 million up front.

Project engineer Mauro de Agnoli convinced councillors that building the entire 447-space car park in a pedestrian-friendly design would be cheaper than staging it over three years as fees could be charged from the start.

Mr de Agnoli calculated fees would raise $700,000 a year, recouping the costs within seven years.

Free parking will be eliminated except for short stops but actual fees won’t be finalised until the car park is ready, probably within a year.

Mr de Agnoli and the committee recommend borrowing funds for the construction work and repaying the money from predicted cash surplus from the total airport business, currently $1.5 million a year.

Passenger numbers have increased 14 per cent a year on average for seven years and are expected to pass 300,000 this year.

The council conservatively estimates a 7 per cent a year rise in coming years, ample to cover major projects.

The main runway was last upgraded in 1997 at a cost of $1 million.