More than 40 submissions have been received so far on Council's draft development plan for the Ashburton Airport, with the deadline for community feedback Tuesday 30 August.

Council is envisioning a more active and financially sustainable airport, with three new hangar precincts on the 100-hectare site, including a hangar-home area where people can live in the same building as their aircraft.

A drop-in session at the airport recently to share information about the development plan attracted a good crowd of about 80 people, reflecting the growing popularity of the facility.

The long-term plan looks at future growth and how the airport might serve the district over the next 30 years and Council is keen to get as much feedback as possible.

Of the submissions received so far, there is overall support for the draft development plan and its goals. There is very strong support (over 90 per cent of submitters) for building more recreational hangar space in the locations proposed.

While there is general support for hangar homes, views are more mixed about how many of these should be built.

Submitters also support plans to make the airport more financially self-sufficient, so it would need less input from ratepayers via  a contribution from general rates.

The consultation document and submission form can be found at ashburtondc.govt.nz/airport.