Coxs Bay helicopter application to be publicly notified due to impacts on valuable foraging habitats and potentially repetitive adverse effects on the environment of the surrounding coastal area.
Regular readers will be aware of the resource consent application for private use helicopter activity on a headland in Coxs Bay.
Since the application was lodged three years ago, a significant number of Westmere and Herne Bay locals have expressed their concerns to Auckland Council about the potential impacts on endangered birdlife, public safety and the disruption of their peaceful neighbourhoods. Last month, a council-appointed Duty Commissioner, Mr Mark Farnsworth, declared that the Coxs Bay application should be publicly notified. Quiet Sky Waitematā applauds Mr Farnsworth’s careful consideration of the effects on the surrounding natural environment and nearby properties.
Public participation in decision making is vitally important when it comes to private use helicopters in residential areas. If approved, this application could set a precedent that opens the floodgates to multiple more private use helipads around Herne Bay, Westmere, Pt Chevalier and Te Atatu. Public sentiment on this issue is high and over 3000 people have signed a petition asking for an outright ban on all private use helicopters in residential areas.
Helicopters have no place in residential neighbourhoods in Tāmaki Makaurau. They are intrusive, noisy, harmful to the environment, cause mental distress for those living nearby and fly in the face of the vision of a sustainable city. There is a public helipad that is less than a 12 minute drive from St Marys, Herne Bay, Coxs Bay and Westmere. This seems to be a better alternative to damaging natural habitats that are safe havens for our wildlife and disrupting the lives of hundreds of people.
Elena Keith, Westmere www.quietsky.nz