Helicopter noise to be addressed

Local residents hope the daily disruption of aircraft noise near their buildings could soon be a thing of the past under a new plan by the City of Melbourne.

The council last month agreed to develop Fly Neighbourly Agreements (FNAs) with local helicopter companies in an effort to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on residents.

Last year some 6289 helicopters flew over the City of Melbourne between January and July.

Regulation of helicopters and small aircraft is at a federal level and generally require aircraft to fly at a minimum of 1000 feet. However, current regulations don’t address issues such as flight paths, time of operation and minimum heights for hovering.

In order to address these issues, the City of Melbourne will seek to develop FNAs with all main helicopter companies operating with the municipality.

Residents from Siddeley St, who live close to the Yarra River helipad, and also East Melbourne, have been campaigning for action on the issue for some time.

Flinders Wharf resident Todd Henderson, said he had been in conversation with the City of Melbourne about the issue of helicopter noise for more than a year.

With a helipad located just 60 metres from the building, Mr Henderson said the sound of the helicopters taking off and landing or flying in front of the building was extremely loud.

He said there were currently between five and 10 flights a day arriving and departing from the helipad.

While he’s pleased the council will support the development of FNAs, Mr Henderson said he was unsure how much it would impact on the current noise situation, given the agreements are non-binding and voluntary.

“There’s a number of us keen to have the helipad itself shifted,” Mr Henderson said.

Mr Henderson said he would like speak with other residents impacted by helicopter noise and asked that they email

Councillors unanimously agreed to support the development of a Fly Neighbourly Agreement at the February 16 Future Melbourne Committee meeting.

However, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said residents where right to be realistic about the enforceability of the voluntary agreements.

He also said the first hurdle was the acceptance of the agreements by the relevant federal authorities.

He said there was no precedent for FNAs in urban areas, with the agreements previously being applied to remote and regional areas.