Helicopter landing site riles locals in this prized coastal area
His group raised concerns about noise, but the tribunal heard expert evidence that the sound produced by the proposed helicopter would be within the legally allowed levels.
Queenscliff resident and former councillor David Kenwood, who opposed the application in tribunal hearings, said it was deeply worrying that the distinctive areas and landscape designation had not been considered.
'The great worry of this is the precedent it sets particularly for this area,' he said. 'It's virtually impossible to stop another helicopter operation.'
The Borough of Queenscliffe has previously reported nearly 200 bird species have been seen in Swan Bay and that its intertidal mudflats are home to about 10,000 migratory birds each summer.
Ramsey's property is located within a rural conservation zone, and it is also covered by a significant landscape overlay and environmental significance overlay. But the tribunal found these were also not relevant to the proposed use in the helicopter landing site application.
The Age made multiple attempts to seek a response from Ramsey, including through his lawyers, but he could not be reached for comment.
Kenwood said the area beside Lakers Cutting was serene and inappropriate for a helicopter.
'It's probably the quietest place in the borough.'
The zoning of the land and its designation as a distinctive area and landscape should have been enough to protect it from uses including helicopter flights, he said.
'You think you've got safeguards, but once you get into VCAT they're not existent.'
The tribunal determined the Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy was not incorporated or referred to expressly in the planning scheme.
The statement of planning policy sets out a 50-year vision for the area to protect its 'outstanding landscapes and coastal landforms', living Indigenous cultural heritage and history and important infrastructure.
The policy lists more than a dozen public entities that are responsible for the declared area, including the Borough of Queenscliffe, Parks Victoria and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. However, VCAT is not among them.
Monash University urban planning and design senior lecturer Liz Taylor said the Queenscliffe council had initially refused a permit for the landing site, but later supported the application. Third-party objectors then spoke out against the application at the tribunal hearings.
Taylor said the state government declared the Bellarine Peninsula a distinctive area and landscape several years ago, which meant it was part of Victoria's planning provisions.
However, she said the state government needed to make a planning scheme amendment to formally incorporate the declaration into the Queenscliffe planning scheme.
A Victorian government spokeswoman said work was under way to incorporate the Bellarine Peninsula Statement of Planning Policy through an amendment to relevant planning schemes. However, it said local councils must consider the policy when making relevant decisions within the declared area.
The tribunal granted the permit to Ramsey subject to several conditions, including that flight movements not exceed 16 per calendar month. The helicopter movements can only occur between 7am and 7pm.
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