Helicopter application remains up in the air

SURF Coast Shire councillors debated at length about a proposal to allow land in Freshwater Creek to be used as a landing site for helicopters, but ultimately decided to defer the application.

Councillors considered the planning application for 420 Coombes Road at their April meeting.

The shire received 48 objections to the application on a range of issues, including the helicopters would be used for commercial purposes, the number and frequency of movements, noise (disturbance to residents), breach of privacy, safety issues and disturbance to the environment.

The officers’ recommendation was to grant a permit subject to a long list of conditions and several councillors spoke in favour of it.

However, Cr Heather Wellington was unconvinced, saying that she believed a separate application needed to be put forward for any proposed business use of the site.

“My reading of the application in front of us was that it was for ancillary use to a dwelling – that was commuting – and we haven’t seen an application that talks about the impact of a business use at all.

“I believe, and I will say again, we will end up in VCAT looking very silly, because if you can build a massive shed that will hold three helicopters, and you can build a landing pad, and then you can say that’s for farming use and five minutes later say it’s for helicopter use… how does that work? Can I do that on my land; I’ve got 100 acres? No, surely not! That makes a nonsense of the planning provisions.”

The motion to grant the permit was put to a vote and lost four votes to five, sparking an angry reaction from a member of the audience (believed to be associated with the applicant), who shouted “See you at VCAT!”

Another motion to refuse the application based on a lack of information was then changed, at the officer’s recommendation, to defer the council’s decision to enable further information to be provided and to consider the application at the next ordinary meeting. This motion was carried five votes to four.