241 & 257 Toorak Road & 625 Chapel Street, South Yarra Victoria 3141

A HELICOPTER landing pad!!!! I object: reasons: NOISE NOISE NOISE NOISE. Is a helicopter landing pad an addition to the existing permit? It appears so.
So we'll have PRIVATE HELICOPTERS flying rich owners in from wherever, as a convenience for them, and EVERYONE has NOISE of take off and landing, flying over South Yarra, Richmond all day and night, forever more.... PLEAS NO. I object in the strongest terms.

Please don't put a helicopter pad in the middle of South Yarra. It is a noisy invasion of amenity and privacy

Too much!!! What are they thinking? As well as imposing on the amenitites of the local residents (and there are many now, as a result of overdevelopment) there is a safety issue.

I thought they would need to leave a clear flight path for the Air Ambulance on emergency flights to the Alfred Hospital. This helicopter saves lives, while the one you are proposing serves only a few people and creates a terrible noise issue for everyone else.
We have already had to adjust to the darkness that has engulfed local streets because of high rise developments blocking the natural light.
Please start thinking about what you are doing to the livability of South Yarra. You are destroying a suburb recognised internationally as one of the prettiest parts of the world and a huge asset to Melbourne.

As a local, I object to the construction of the proposed helipad as it will create so much noise and there will be safety issues. A helicopter accident in such a densely populated area can easily turn into a disaster.

Absolutely No to a private Helipad! We already have the one at The Alfred - which is understandable and a community service. - but incredibly noisy. There is also the safety issue over such a built up area.
WE STRONGLY OBJECT.

No more of these rich people toys that seem totally unregulated by any authority. The increased frequency of helicopter flights over Richmond, South Yarra and Cremorne is already excessive. They are an environmental hazard.

I object to having a helicopter landing pad flying over my property - due to noise.
I have serious concerns for safety in such a densely populated area.

I strongly object to more helicopter traffic in South Yarra, specifically because of the noise and reduction in amenity in public and private spaces.
I can‘tbelieve this is being seriously proposed.

I strongly object to more helicopter traffic in South Yarra, specifically because of the noise and reduction in amenity in public and private spaces.
I can‘tbelieve this is being seriously proposed.

Phyllis Gordon
Absolutely No to a private Helipad! We already have the one at The Alfred - which is understandable and a community service. - but incredibly noisy. There is also the safety issue over such a built up area.
I STRONGLY OBJECT.

I object to the helipad on the top of Capital Grand. South Yarra now has many very high buildings which increases the safety risk for operation of the helicopter. There are further proposals for more high storey buildings in the near vicinity of the helipad. The proposal is on the corner of the busiest intersection in South Yarra. A helicopter operating that close will be a distraction to both motorists and pedestrians. The noise will be extremely loud and echo down the streets and lanes. The operational time from 7 am to 10 pm is too wide. If the proposal is allowed, it should be restricted between 10 am and 5 pm. Residents with small children will have difficulty getting them to sleep at night.

Your objection must be formally lodged if you are a neighbor, saying why and hiw you would be affected. 12/02/18 is the deadline.
This is is the tallest building outside the CBD and is for exclusive use of the penthouse owner. He can fly north looking down on private balconies and what about safety and security of those below. This has only been available inside CBD and usually police and emergency vehicles.
Property is short walk from Sth Yarra station, two intersecting tramlines, there are cars and bicycles as well as a taxi rank right opposite at Como. Why would anyone buy level 50 if they didn't like the transport and great infrastructure on this corner? No one else has asked to fly overhead instead of using what's at hand. No precedents. No nearby tower was designed to have their homes rattled by noise and wind. Please object asap. I am.

You have to be kidding that this application could be taken seriously. The gall and plain selfishness is gobsmacking. An invasion in every way. This is for private use, there is absolutely no social benefit whatsoever. Cant imagine a helipad over council chambers.

I’m all for it. It’s a tiny step towards the fantastic Jetsons world where we will all be flying personal hovercopters on the rare occasions flying drones aren’t catering to our every whim as our pale bloated bodies loll in front of 85 inch TV’s.

I live in an apartment in close proximity facing the proposed helipad development.
I care for a child with Autism who would be greatly affected by the horrific sound of a helicopter coming and going.
We purchased the apartment in this area for its access.
This would result in me having to put the apartment back on the market as it will make it unlivable.
The reason for having this helipad needs to be justified to current residents as it is ridiculous. If you need a helipad your moving to the wrong area of Melbourne.
The fact this is being proposed is a disgrace and clear indication that the safety & well being of residents is no longer a priority for this council.

I think the helipad should be approved. A couple more helicopters a day over South Yarra is not going to make a huge difference to the amenity. The Capitol building with a helipad is bound to attract wealthy international residents. South Yarra and specifically Chapel Street needs a boost to fulfill its full potential. Many other major cities around the world allow heliports on private buildings. This is an opportunity to make South Yarra the place to be in Melbourne.

As a nearby resident I object to the helipad on the basis of noise. At a minimum, the landing period should be reduced to finish by 8pm. The proposed 10pm curfew is simply too late.

I hope Stonnington commits its best lawyers for this. Its an absolute outrage. This is the inner-suburban South Yarra, not downtown new York. Totally anti-social and unnecessary. I feel sorry for those living within 100 meters of this building. it will be a nightmare.

Also, why hasn't Stonnington uploaded the plans/reports to the online portal?
I would like the read the acoustic report, but don't have time to go into council and photocopy hundreds of pages or spend an hour there reading.

This is worth a read: http://planningschemes.dpcd.vic.gov.au/schemes/vpps/52_15.pdf

Since most of the people severely effected live in the neighboring towers, and are renters, they won't even know about this helipad. Council only advertises to the investor owners who mostly don't live there.

They should also advertise to the occupants.

Maybe the body corporate for each tower needs to send notices to every apartment.

Anyone who has been under the flight path of the Medivac Helicopter, as it approaches or leaves the Alfred Hospital, will be aware of its intrusive and menacing noise. It is outrageous that such invasive noise could be inflicted on hundreds, possibly thousands of neighbours, all to indulge a few penthouse people.

Apart from the noise, I am concerned at the potential for a crash, and the absence of a park in the immediate vicinity of the Capitol site for emergency landings.

"Between 2005 and 2009, there was an annual average of 1.44 fatalities (PDF) per 100,000 flying hours in non-military helicopters. Over the same period, there were 13.2 traffic fatalities per 100,000 population in the United States annually. Since the average American spends around 780 hours per year (PDF) in the car, that means the fatality rate per 100,000 hours of driving time is just 0.017. Based on hours alone, helicopters are 85 times more dangerous than driving."
https://fullfact.org/news/how-dangerous-are-helicopters/

I'm not optimistic that Stonnington Council will take a position on this, though I hope I am wrong. Anything controversial now tends to lapse at Council, until after the due date for a decision, and therefore be referred to VCAT. It's worth remembering when Council elections come around again.

This is not in the best interest of residents in the area. The noise and toxic emissions from these helicopters will have profound effects on people, fauna, views and future developments.
It will be very disruptive for neighbours to have these beasts hovering over our heads. We already put up with the nuisance of choppers landing frequently on the grounds of Melbourne High School, only meters away from this new site. Further more we can see and hear helicopters taking off and landing on the Alfred Hospital helipad.

This will affect business and residents in the way it is now impacting Docklands and Melbourne CBD. It is a bad idea not suitable for the area.

Everyone will be affected by this ridiculous proposal.

We object to the proposal.
Excessive noise over a very large area (cf the Alfred helicopter experience)
Unnecessary and with no specified public benefit
Unnecessary and finite safety risk, with no upside projected
What benefits offset the negatives?
Proposed hours of operation seem to be far too wide for the assumed objective.

Please reject the application

Resident Rockley Road

There is a paper by the Victorian Government entitled "Planning requirements for heliports and helicopter landing sites" that describes requirements that must be met.

I RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE OBJECTING SHOULD READ THE DOCUMENT.

https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0019/13474/PPN75-Planning-requirements-for-heliports-and-helicopter-landing-sites.doc

Amongst other things, it indicates that the application "must demonstrate that a suitable separation distance has been met between the landing point of a heliport or helicopter landing site and an existing building used for a sensitive use."

It also states: "Uses that are sensitive to the potential adverse amenity impact of a heliport or a helicopter landing site include accommodation, child care centre, education centre and hospital."

It also offers a guideline for the distance required from such sensitive use buildings: "No permit is required under any provision of the planning scheme to use land for a helicopter landing site where the landing point is located more than 500 metres from a building used for a sensitive use."

The proposed helipad would not meet such requirements.
Apart from Melbourne High School, there is now a child care centre, "River Garden – A Guardian Early Learning Centre" established in 2016 in the Vogue Centre just across the road from Melbourne High School on Chapel Street.

Although these points alone do not exclude planning permission being granted, I believe that the council should recognise that, for these reasons, without the planning permission the helipad would fail these Victorian Government regulations.

I object to the proposed helipad at 241 and 257 Toorak Road and 625 Chapel Street for the following reasons:
1. It will be a significant noise invasion, the proposed hours of 7am to 10pm would interrupt quieter times normally kept for rest.
2. It will affect amenity of the neighbourhood. In addition to the noise there is the significant wind when a helicopter is taking off or landing. This combined with the height of the building will add to the wind tunnel effect at street level already created by the significant height of the building.
3. It is not benefiting the community, only a handful of penthouse owners. The area is home to thousands of people who will suffer from the noise, wind and pollution from the helicopters.
4. It is a poor environmental choice, using fossil fuel and creating emissions. There is very good, easily accessible public transport literally out the front of the building and it is only a 2 minute walk to South Yarra station which has very frequent services to many destinations.
5. How will the council police the times and frequency of helicopter trips to and from the helipad? I doubt the council will be available to prevent additional flights or flights later in the evening of earlier in the morning should the users choose to do this.

South Yarra is not an airport it is entirely inappropriate to add this to the mix of traffic congestion and dense living in the area as it does not provide any benefit to the local community and will reduce the living standard for the community.

I object to the helipad. It is elitist, unnecessary, will impact far too many people from a noise and safety perspective, and is an unpleasant precedent with respect to impacting the lives of many for the benefit of the few.

I object to the helipad and cant understand why this would even be considered.
The need of a few does not outweigh the objections of the many.

My objections relate to but are not limited to the following:
Jet fuel fumes,
Potential accidents due to crash landings near a school,
The noise levels would be unacceptable at any time. There are already a number of heliports approximately 3.8km from this proposed helipad so there is no need for more.

Unfortunately from my experience the council and VCAT do not always have their constituents best interests in mind when building permits are approved. It seems it is the developers that wield the power and not the people. How else would many of the new constructions within the area have been approved? They approve buildings like this and yet the government doesnt connect South Yarra station up to the Metro.
I will remember this when its time to vote for local council reps and government etc.

I strongly object to the application for the proposed helipad.
My objections below relate to but are not limited to the following:

- Noise Invasion and unrealistic landing period from 7am to 10pm
- Environmental harm from fuel emissions/ refilling dangers
- Location. To apply for a helipad permit, regulations surrounding distance from sensitive use buildings must be met - "No permit is required under any provision of the planning scheme to use land for a helicopter landing site where the landing point is located more than 500 metres from a building used for a sensitive use." Due to a childcare center located at 670 Chapel Street, South Yarra (River Garden – A Guardian Early Learning Centre), the proposed helipad would not meet such requirements.
- Loss of amenity for the surrounding area.

I object to the application for the proposed helipad on the grounds that it will create noise pollution that will disturb the surrounding residents. The application includes modifications to the Capitol Grand building itself to ensure its residents only hear a relatively quiet 59dB. However no consideration has been given to existing surrounding buildings, some of which will receive sound blasts almost four times as loud as would be heard by the building that actually wants the helipad (59dB vs. 78dB).

The permitted landing period between 7am and 10pm is over-generous. While it may barely cover usual sleeping patterns, it does not display consideration for residents who are awake and wishing to live quietly and undisturbed in their surrounding homes.

The application argues that other helicopters are already in use in the area, however these other flights are not comparable. Helicopters do not land at Melbourne High School as often as twice a day, as this application desires for its helipad. And helicopters landing at the Alfred Hospital are justifiable given they are saving lives, not acting as merely a more convenient commute to the Melbourne Cup and F1 Grand Prix, as the application suggests its helipad be used for.

While I may not personally reside in the area, I feel it is my duty to defend the rights and comforts of my tenants who choose to live in my apartment on Claremont Street who would have to suffer the undue noise that would result from this application being approved.

Further to the comment made by Daniel Chambers:
"The application argues that other helicopters are already in use in the area, however these other flights are not comparable. Helicopters do not land at Melbourne High School as often as twice a day, as this application desires for its helipad."

This helicopter is able to use Melbourne High School without a permit even though it does not meet the regulations required. Stonnington Council have already investigated this and found the following:

"Whilst we understand that the area has undergone significant change over the years, we cannot compel Melbourne High School to apply for a permit where they benefit from existing use rights.

Existing use rights allow a use to continue on the land for the purpose of which it has been used for an extended period of time, prior to the introduction of more sensitive uses."

The proposed helipad does not meet the same criteria nor will it meet the regulations without a permit. It will be flying in and around buildings with sensitive uses that are already at risk from the existing Melbourne High School helicopter.

Developers of Capitol Grand. Like you, we are aware that Toorak Rd is a rolling car park for high-end european sports cars and tractors alike, that soon, will need their headlights on during the day to see through the giant shadow your building will cast. So it makes sense that your pretentious types want to fly above the masses to access your overabundant structure from the air. But why not just use Melbourne High School like normal people; flying in low over Cremorne on the daily commute to drop the kids off to school? Although, if you do get your greedy little way and build this maxi-pad for absorbing all the dripping rich, i am sure that Charlize Theron would be thrilled to get paid another stupendous sum of money to come back and cut the ribbon at its opening. #TaxTheRich

irrelevancy

Its not much work to object. They can download a form from Stonnington and say they will be affected by noise and anxious about their safety. That's very simple to do.

Once a precedent is set for anyone in Melbourne suburbs to use their personal airspace for helicopters, the city transport infrastructure will have lost even more control than they have already.

The pasted comment above in my name is just the last paragraph. Please ignore it.

1. As owner of two Vogue apartments occupied by myself and family, I am personally affected in both apartments.

2. I babysit grandchildren who sleep outside those hours. I have lived in Kingstoun on St Kilda Rd and confirm that the Alfred Hospital helicopter is noisy. But noisy essential services are acceptable. Hot air balloons are acceptable overhead as they are not noisy. If they don't sleep properly i won't be able to babysit.

3. I object to the air that will whirl down this dense neighborhood consistently even in calm weather. In case of emergency of act of God it could hit other towers.

4. Statistically helicopter accidents havea much worse record than car accidents. The proposal is outside government regulations on helipads.

5. There is a sense-of-place developing due to wonderful shops, cafes, Yarra trails and existing public transport at ground area...including a taxi rank at Como in case penthouse owner loses car driving license or can't ride a bike. This person with dominant social-phobia will change the amenity of the area for the worse.

6. The shift worker who is a tenant next door, new to Australia and studies long hours has no idea how to complain so asked me to add his voice to this objection. He represents a sizable proportion of occupants who won't object.

7. It seems our Owner's Corporation is doing nothing to help the 500 Vogue apartment owners. Thousands of people busy moving near Capitol Grand this month are affected. I am speaking up for them.

8. The existing helicopter at Melbourne High was there well before any tower. It bothers people but is subject to different precedents. This application means anyone with the space in suburbs will have the right to make similar applications.

On behalf of many occupants I meet in the Vogue lifts, including many overseas students who don't understand their rights to object safely, I would like to add that developers take liberties beyond their brief once plans are approved.

At Vogue, after all plans were approved and Contracts for prepared for settlement, the developer decided to withold access to the onsite goods lift and wrote an undisclosed 99 year lease to himself on behalf of the retailer section of the building.

These tenants are horrified that their furniture trucks have to park to unload goods through the front door on a busy intersection. This secret lease was approved by an owner's corporation chosen by the developer.

I have not yet met a tenant who is happy about how owner's are robbed of their own rights by developers. They are worrying what else Capitol Grand will want next if they approve anything.

We strongly object to the helipad at the corner of Toorak Rd and Chapel St. We walk near that corner with our children at least twice daily. One of our children is greatly affected by loud noises and a helicopter would cause distress. In addition, South Yarra is densely populated. We are concerned that a helicopter accident in the area could have tragic consequences.

Congratulations Stonnington Council on your sensible refusal of this application.

Its a bit suspicious that council have fast tracked their decision to refuse. Especially when they usually take months for us mere mortals. Has the council been coerced into fast tracking a decision in aid of the billionaire and his army of consultants and lawyers getting to vcat quicker? Lets hope that council puts up a decent defense in aid of the people who pay its wages.

Great News and congrats to Stonnington.
Next there is the need to watch out for VCAT where the Penthousers will probably go next.