Auckland councillor Mike Lee is leading a new push to ban private helipads in residential areas of the city.
The Waitematā and Gulf councillor intends raising two notices of motion at the policy and planning committee meeting on July 24.
“One is for the Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan, which covers Waiheke and Great Barrier Island, essentially, where helipads have been a major problem with local people.
“The other one covers the western bays of Auckland and so that’s the Auckland Unitary Plan.”
“One notice of motion applies to the Auckland situation – the mainland situation – and the other applies to the Gulf Islands,” he said.
The announcement comes days after billionaire entrepreneur Anna Mowbray and former-All Black husband Ali Williams were given permission to build a helipad at their $24 million waterfront home in Westmere.
The commissioners’ decision released on Monday, June 30 stated flights would be limited to no more than two per day and 10 per month.
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According to Auckland Council, of 1397 written submissions made on the application, most — 1227, or 87% — opposed the helipad on Rawene Avenue, 108 were supportive, and 12 were neutral.
“This latest decision, according to the commissioner, Kit Littlejohn, says helipads are enabled in residential areas as a permitted activity and has gone so far, quite extraordinarily, to assert that helicopters are equivalent to cars and they’re intrinsic to residential living, which is a pretty extreme argument,” Lee said.
“I don’t think most people would agree with that, but nonetheless, the unitary plan is not as clear on this matter as everyone had assumed until now and, therefore, the need for clarity is quite urgent really.
“Why should people be disturbed in their own homes and properties by people who are making an awful racket, and flying aircraft into the neighbourhood.”
He believed many Aucklanders agreed with him and that helipads in residential areas created a large volume of complaints.
“It’s not designed to be a ban on helicopters or helipads,” Lee said. “It’s private residential use that we’re concerned about, because that’s what causes all the complaints.
“When you think about it, landing an aircraft in a built-up area as a routine means of transport is just crazy and it’s unacceptable.
“We have to tidy it up and give people certainty, that’s even the Mowbrays – Ali Williams and Miss Mowbray — who spent three years and I guess a hell of a lot of money on this application.
“People like that need some certainty as well, because the way things are now, it’s quite a mess and needs to be tidied up.”
The Auckland councillor has previously attempted to ban private helipads in residential areas, but his motion in March last year lost 10-8.
“I have tried in the past, of course, and narrowly failed to get the majority of councillors and the mayor to vote for making helipads in residential areas a prohibited activity,” Lee said.
“There’s an election coming up and we don’t have that much time in the current term of this council to do something about it, and I was determined to do something in this term of the council.”
The Auckland councillor said he’d like the city to follow some Australian cities that have prohibited private helipads in residential areas, unless they have a Fly Neighbourly Agreement with local residents.
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