Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray around the time of the demolition of their property in Westmere. Photo / via Instagram
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray around the time of the demolition of their property in Westmere. Photo / via Instagram
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray’s plans for a helicopter pad at their Westmere home will be publicly notified.
Commissioner Mark Farnsworth cited environmental concerns, including noise and potential impacts on wildlife and trees.
The decision was welcomed by Quiet Sky Waitemata, which opposes private helicopters in residential areas.
Plans by ex-All Black Ali Williams and his billionaire wife Anna Mowbray for a helicopter pad at their $24 million waterfront home in Westmere will be publicly notified.
Duty commissioner Mark Farnsworth issued the decision on October 4, saying the application for the helipad – a non-complying activity in the residential zone – would have potentially cumulative effects on the environment.
Mowbray, who most recently founded recruitment business Zeil, and Williams, an ex-All Black who played 77 tests between 2002 and 2012, are redeveloping their Westmere property.
The Westmere property where a helicopter pad consent is sought. Photo / Dean Purcell
The plans include a helicopter landing and takeoff pad on the almost half-hectare Westmere site of 4530sq m on coastal headland that juts into a coastal marine area.
The commissioner’s decision was welcomed today as a “major step forward and a major step in the right direction” by Quiet Sky Waitemata, a group formed to oppose the use of private helicopters in residential areas.
Secretary Elena Keith said the commissioner’s decision is an opportunity for Williams and Mowbray to recognise the incredible environment they live in and consider withdrawing their application.
In May, Consultants Bioresearchers, on behalf of the couple, performed 16 surveys quarterly for a year about the habitat of bird life and the effects of helicopters on those, which concluded they won’t bother residents much or disturb bird life.
Farnsworth disagreed, saying the proposed take-off and landing by helicopters would exceed the noise standards at four neighbouring properties, noting the proposed location is 10 to 15 metres further south than appears to have been assessed in the applicant’s acoustic report.
He cited several issues with bird life during emergency flights, light and noise from helicopters, and how these could affect roosting and sleeping.
“While the noise events from the helicopter operations may be short and only up to four times a day, the impacts of noise on wildlife would be continuous rather than isolated events, and this continuous disturbance could be to a whole area becoming inhospitable to some species,” the commissioner said.
Farnsworth said it was unclear how the helicopter operations would impact the health and longevity of pohutukawa trees on both sides of the cliff, and new trees along the coast.
“The damage to or demise of trees has the potential to result in a significant consequential adverse effect on character and amenity values of the surrounding coastal area,” he said.
The rich-lister couple’s plans have upset residents and raised environmental concerns.
In 2021, the couple spent $24m buying the property at Rawene Ave, previously owned by film director Andrew Adamson, with plans to demolish it and replace it with a three-level home with an underground basement.
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray regularly feature in the Herald's celebrity pages.
Williams declined to comment on the application being publicly notified during a visit to NZME.
Keith said there was strong opposition to the helipad from the Westmere and wider community in Coxs Bay and Herne Bay, and a concern the application could set a precedent.
“There is also a growing awareness of the delicate nature of the ecosystem on the foreshore, and more data emerging about birds in the area.
“To our surprise and delight there are quite a significant number of endangered species that use it as a safe haven. The thought the birds would go without a voice is really concerning,” she said.
Briscoes boss Rod Duke went ahead and built a boatshed without a helipad in Herne Bay. Photo / Alex Burton
Williams and Mowbray are the latest applicants embroiled in helicopter issues around the uber-wealthy suburbs of Westmere and Herne Bay.
Rich-list couple Simon and Paula Herbert backed down on taking more helicopter flights to and from their $30m home in Herne Bay in 2022.
They wanted to double the number of flights at their Cremorne St property from two flights a week to four a week. When their application went out for public consultation it attracted 130 submissions, all opposed.
Another rich-lister, Briscoes boss Rod Duke, faced strong public opposition when he tried to build a James Bond-style helipad in Herne Bay with a roof that folds back on a revamped boat shed at Sentinel Beach. He backed down, completing the boat shed with a fixed roof.
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