Auckland rich-lister Rod Duke fights council over Herne Bay helicopter use

A prominent Auckland businessman is fighting a council decision to restrict how often he can land his helicopter at his Herne Bay mansion.

Multi-millionaire Rod Duke wants to build a helicopter pad at an upmarket property that he is developing along with his wife Patricia.

Duke is the Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of the Briscoe Group.

The rich-lister finds himself in a row with Auckland Council after being told he will only be able to take off and land three times in the space of seven days. 

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Duke wants to convert the property's boathouse, which stretches some way into the water next to the popular Sentinel Beach, into a helipad.

The Herne Bay property that belongs to Duke was rated at $11 million in Auckland Council's latest property valuations.

It overlooks Sentinel Beach in one of Auckland's most sought-after suburbs.

Auckland Council's Manager Resource Consents Central, Mark White, said Duke and his wife, Patricia, had applied for consent for a helipad on their boatshed at their property.

"The application sought consent for six flights (six arrivals and six departures) per week. However, the applicants' noise expert provided an assessment of noise effects which was based on a maximum of three flights per week (three arrivals and three departures), with a maximum of one arrival and departure on any one day," White said.

The council based its assessment on the information provided by the applicants' noise expert and recommended that the application be processed on a limited notified basis, to the residents of 73 and 79 Sarfsfield Street.

Written approvals were obtained from both neighbours and as a result, the application was not publicly notified.

"The council granted consent for a total of three flights (three approaches and three departures) a week, as per the applicants' noise expert's assessment," White said.

"A greater number of flights per week would have required an amended noise assessment and may have required the application to be notified, on either a limited or full notification basis.

White said the Dukes had appealed the council's decision, to grant consent for three flights per week, to the Environment Court. 

The court had issued a decision enabling the Dukes to begin works such as construction of the helipad, but it did not enable the Dukes to have helicopter flights while the appeal was before the court.

The council would report on progress to the court on December 15.

Herne Bay Residents Association spokesman Dirk Hudig said they had only recently heard about the plans.  

"Although the consent was non-notified it's our view residents should have been notified."

Hudig points out that the helicopter pad will be close to other homes and the beach.

He'd already had one resident raise concerns about the Dukes' plans.

"People must accept there's a difference between having a helicopter land on a farm and in the suburbs." 

There is already one home with a helicopter pad which is known to make a lot of noise. 

"One of our fears is the helicopter will be left idling to get around rules of having to check the aircraft every time it stops and starts." 

Hudig expects more residents will complain about the helicopter pad as news of the plans spreads.

Duke declined to comment.