Auckland councillor tries again to ban helicopters in residential areas
Photo:
RNZ/Maia Ingoe
Residential helipads will once again be the
topic of conversation
at Auckland Council.
Waitematā and Gulf Ward councillor Mike Lee has confirmed he'll be putting forward a Notice of Motion to ban helicopters in residential areas at Wednesday's Policy and Planning Committee.
It follows news this week that Auckland billionaire couple Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams' approval to build a helipad at their Westmere home, will be challenged at the Environment Court.
This is the second time Lee has tried to prohibit helipads in residential areas, his motion last year losing by two votes.
"Well, it'll be a close-run thing, and so who knows what the outcome really will be."
"In some ways, the odds are rather stacked against getting any change, because not only will we have to persuade the elected members, the members of the governing body, the councillors, to agree with us.
"Unfortunately, we'll be having to deal with the senior planning staff who are opposed to any change to the system, particularly adverse to the idea of making helipads in residential areas a prohibited activity.
"So we're going to have our work cut out for us, but we have the community, the overwhelming majority of the community, supporting this," Lee said.
But he said "staff advice" would be the biggest obstacle in getting his motion across the line.
"The biggest challenge will be the council officers, the council planners, who seem to have a philosophic opposition to prohibited activity.
"Prohibited activity for certain activities are in the Auckland Unitary Plan. Helipads, for instance, in Sydney are a prohibited activity in all residential zones and business zones. Prohibited activity is in the Resource Management Act, it's been there since 1991.
"Despite all the reforms, upteam reforms of RMA, that virtually every government since 1991 has undertaken, prohibited activity, Section 87D, remains in the Act for very good reason."
He said all three local boards in his ward (Waitematā, Waiheke Island and the Aotea, Great Barrier Island local board areas) backed the move.
Lee will also have the support of Whau councillor Kerrin Leoni who said she believed public sentiment from Aucklanders was predominately in their corner.
For example, according to Auckland Council, of 1397 written submissions made on the helipad application by Auckland richlisters Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams, most - 1227, or 87 percent - opposed the helipad on Rawene Avenue in Westmere.
One-hundred-and-eight were supportive, and 12 were neutral.
"I think we need to make a strong stance on that and I'm definitely supporting Mike Lee's notice of motion," Leoni said.
"Rich people that are coming into our city and treating it like it's a playground. I mean, it's just unacceptable.
"We just can't let our city be seen as a playground for the rich listers to come in and do as they please, there should be some rules around that.
"Apparently there are public helipads within 15 minutes or I think half an hour at least from everyone's address across the city. So why can't we use those instead of everyone having to have private ones?
"I know there's definitely a lot of support and I'm sure there'll be a lot of people there to support the notice of motion and in the galleries as well."
Among them will be members from Quiet Sky Waitematā who this week
filed an appeal
to the Environment Court in an attempt to block Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams from flying a private helicopter from their multi-million-dollar Westmere property.
That's despite independent hearing commissioners appointed by Auckland Council
approving the couple's controversial resource consent application
for a private helipad in June.
"We will have representatives from Quiet Sky who will be presenting a petition of over 4100 signatures to the councillors, letting them know about how Auckland feels about banning private use helicopters in residential areas," said spokesperson Elena Keith.
"Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, none of them allow private helicopters in the city.
"This is a very backward move. It's not the city that we want. I don't think it's a city that Auckland ratepayers want," Keith said.
RNZ contacted Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray's lawyer for comment ahead of the motion of notice and the appeal in the Environment Court.
While there was no response, the couple have said in the media that they were deeply disappointed with the legal challenge and the cost to public resources it will use.
Lee said part of the reason behind his motion was to provide more certainty for people like them.
"Under the law, the way it is now, they have every right to apply for a helipad and obviously they've spent a lot of money through this process.
"Clearly they're extremely disappointed that the local residents are going to appeal. They're disappointed, but they shouldn't be surprised."
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