HIGH-FLYING property executives will need to find more down-to-earth transport after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal rejected a helipad proposal for Altona.
Local residents have fought the proposal for five years.
The VCAT decision last Wednesday affirmed Hobsons Bay City Council’s decision to deny Burbank Homes a permit for the helipad.
One of Victoria’s largest residential property developers, Burbank wanted the helipad in the car park at its company headquarters in Aberdeen Rd, Altona.
In ruling for local residents, VCAT cited a “number of adverse planning outcomes” in rejecting Burbank’s appeal to overturn the original council decision.
Chief among VCAT findings was that “noise from helicopter operations will be very intrusive at nearby dwellings”.
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“The single most contentious issue in this application is the effect of the noise of helicopter operations on the amenity of nearby residents,” VCAT members Anthony Liston and S. R. Cimino noted in their ruling.
The VCAT ruling accepted evidence from Burbank that noise emissions from the helipad would generally comply with relevant standards and guidelines.
But the panel’s inspection of the proposed site confirmed concerns about its potential impact on residents’ quality of life.
The ruling by VCAT considered Burbank’s commercial arguments for the helipad and found the company already had suitable access to other helipad sites in the area.
“We are not satisfied that Burbank’s commercial need for the helipad is something that we can place substantial weight on,” it said.
Burbank sought to operate the helipad in Altona as part of its side business in corporate charter flights.
VCAT also noted the proximity of Burbank Business Park, the proposed site of the helipad, to a residential zone and that its status as an essentially industrial zone made rulings in such cases difficult.
“Neverthelss, in this particular planning context, the planning policy framework and the zone provisions are directed towards ensuring that residents enjoy a high standard of amenity,” it said.
Tony Briffa, co-convenor of the residents’ association, Hobsons Bay Community First, said the VCAT ruling was a satisfying result for local residents, especially those in Galvin Street who faced the greatest impact from the helipad’s operation.
Mr Briffa said Burbank’s application to operate the helipad only 130 metres from local homes was “flawed, inappropriate and unnecessary”.
Burbank Homes declined to comment on the decision.
