Airfield noise impacting farms

The owner of a major dairy farm at Drouin South told Baw Baw Shire a nearby airfield was a risk to their farming operations.

Neil Lane said their business employed 15 people and injected $5 million to $6 million into the local economy.

"Our concern is there is no control over the people who use the airfield. Planes come and go and we don't know who they are.

"It is uncontrolled flying over our property. We can't have cattle being spooked," he said.

Council received 67 objections to the airfield operation, with eight objectors addressing council last week.

Applicant Terry Williamson told council the airfield had been a "never ending story" going back many years.

He said an application to develop four shelter hangars in 2016 was approved but now planners were suggesting he needed planning permission to change the use to an airfield.

Mr Williamson said it was nothing more than a grass air strip and a lot of the planes were just stored at the property.

He could not answer questions on how many plane movements were at the property each week.

"We don't run a business out there...it depends on the (plane) owners how often they land and take off. If it's a good day for fishing, it's probably a good day for flying," he said.

Main South Rd dairy farmer Jennifer Clough said the planes were "very, very loud."

She said the airfield also had been used for rocket launching and they had rockets land in their paddocks.

"Imagine those rockets in a paddock of young excited heifers. Then the owners come looking for the rockets with no regard to bio-security. First it was helicopter manoeuvres, now it's rockets," she said.

Jason Berg, who runs a thoroughbred breeding and agistment operation, said the airfield had prevented them using the property to its full potential.

"The noise is unbelievable. We can't bring clients' horses to our farm until this is resolved," he said.

David Willis, who moved to the area seven months ago, said objectors were speaking from the heart about the impact on their families.

"We chose Baw Baw because of its beauty, its scenery and its agriculture. We didn't have an understanding of the engine noise and its significant noise. I thought five kilometres away we wouldn't hear anything," he said.

Helen Case said noise was not just a pollution, it could impact on residents' health and well being.

She said the planes caused vibration and rattles on neighbouring properties during take-off and significant noise during landing.

Ms Case said it was "invasive and incessant" aircraft noise and the owner was well aware the loss of amenity was a cause of distress to neighbours.

Jane Moss said Mr Williamson was seeking retrospective approval for non-compliant hangars with an application that failed to identify airfield operations, fuelling stations, hours, waste disposal or an acoustic report.

"This greatly affects our livelihoods. We are here stopping something that is already affecting us and has done for years," she said.

Ms Moss said she had video evidence of planes coming and going every 15 minutes, all day on some weekends.

Local pilot David Hooke supported the application, saying he paid $40 a week to store his plane in one of the hangars, which was a peppercorn rental, not a commercial operation.

He said the need for planning approval had stemmed from a "vexatious complaint."

"No one has any intention to intensify the use of the airfield," he said.

Mr Hooke said his take-off and landing circuit from the site flew over two houses.

The Victorian Rocketry Association also provided a letter of support for the application, saying their events at the property were important for academic development of aerospace engineering students.