Council lays down strict conditions for private helipad

A LOCAL authority has laid down strict conditions after granting planning permission to a property developer for a helicopter pad near his home.

Cork County Council granted planning with eight conditions to Michael O’Flynn, managing director of O’Flynn Construction, for the construction of a paved area near his home at Rockfield Farm, in Kilcrea, near Ovens, Co Cork, for use as a helipad.

The council said the grant of permission shall be restricted to the following limitations:

The helipad may be used by one Augusta 109E helicopter only.

The helicopter shall be in the sole ownership of the applicant and all flights shall be for private use only.

Landings and take-offs shall be confined to full daylight hours only.

The helicopter shall not be stored on-site when not in use.

The twin-engined Augusta 109E is one of the most popular corporate helicopters on the market because of its high cruising speed. New models cost about €4 million.

The aircraft has a retractable undercarriage and can be configured to carry either four or six passenger.

The cabin can also be converted for an emergency medical evacuation role.

The council’s decision ends a long-running planning saga over the issue of helicopter landings on the farm.

The council said last year that an area close to Mr O’Flynn’s home where helicopters were landing was not exempted development and, therefore, needed planning permission.

Mr O’Flynn, whose firm is developing Ireland’s tallest building, the Elysian tower in Cork city, referred the matter to An Bórd Pleanala, seeking a ruling as to whether the use of land for the landing and take-off of a helicopter “is or is not development, or is or is not exempted development”.

He subsequently applied to the council last January for planning permission for the construction of a paved area on his farm for use as a helicopter landing pad.

In March, the council requested further information including a detailed noise impact assessment, details of proposed frequency of flights, days and hours of operation, the anticipated time pattern of landings and take-offs, the type of aircraft to be used, and details of flight paths and noise-mitigation measures.

Bord Pleanála then ruled in April that the use of lands for the landing and take-off of a helicopter constitutes a material change of use of the land by reference to Section 3 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 and, therefore, comes within the meaning of “development”. It effectively meant that Mr O’Flynn had to secure planning permission.

The council also stipulated that noise levels from the development shall not exceed 57 decibels between 8am and 10pm and shall not exceed 45 decibels at any other time.

Mr O’Flynn will also have to conduct a noise monitoring survey if so requested by the council, and carry out extra noise mitigation measures that may be deemed necessary following a review of each or all noise surveys.

No fuel associated with the proposed development can be stored on site.

An appeal against the decision can be lodged within the next two weeks.