Chopper stopper

By Kath Gannaway
YARRA Ranges Council has deferred a decision on the construction of a heliport at Maroondah Reservoir to allow for further information to be made available to the public.
The proposal by the Department of Sustainability and Environment is for a heliport in the Yarra Ranges National Park within the Maroondah Dam site, 3.6 kilometres from Healesville township.
The application also calls for the removal of native vegetation.
The council heard that two objections had been received following the initial advertising of the application, on the grounds of the impact on flora and fauna habitat, as well as potential noise, wind and safety issues, and the hours of operation.
DSE has said the heliport would be used predominately for emergency operations but that it could also be used for by other agencies and for VIP visits.
Cr Jeanette McRae went against the recommendation to approve the application, calling instead for the matter to be deferred.
Cr McRae said the location of the site needed clarification.
“It has come in as a planning application for the use of a heliport, but a lot of people, quite rightly, think that meant up at Mt St Leonards,” she said.
“It turns out it is at Maroondah Reservoir and we need to clarify what is included, and in the interests of transparency need to let the community know what it is and what it’s about,” she said.
Information on the application is available from Yarra Ranges Council. The application is YR-2010/1132.