The London Heliport Consultative Group met to discuss the future of the group, helicopter movements, and noise complaints. The meeting also included the appointment of a chair and resident representatives, as well as the approval of minutes from a previous meeting. The group was scheduled to discuss the London Heliport's constitution and terms of reference for their own proposed consultative group.

Future of the London Heliport Consultative Group

The report pack included the London Heliport's Constitution and Terms of Reference for their own proposed consultative group.

The minutes of the previous meeting on 22nd July 2024 record that the Heliport intended to withdraw from the group due to disagreements over administration and membership structure. The Heliport planned to establish its own committee, meeting remotely, with only elected councillors and council officers as consultative members, without formal resident representation. Residents would instead engage with their councillors, who would relay feedback.

Wandsworth Borough Councillor John Locker requested that the Heliport's proposed new committee's constitution and terms of reference be circulated and that the chair role continue to be rotated among councillors.

The constitution states that the purpose of the Consultative Group is to act as an effective means of consultation in relation to The London Heliport for the purpose of Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982¹.

The constitution also states that:

The Consultative Group shall meet twice in each calendar year, unless the Chair deems that there is insufficient business to be discussed. The Chair may also call additional meetings in a year should urgent business arise.

Helicopter Noise Complaints

The report pack included a summary of noise complaints received by the Heliport from August to November 2024, along with actions taken in response.

One complaint concerned a helicopter hovering over a house, which was identified as a National Police Air Service (NPAS) ² operation. Another reported increased helicopter noise, later attributed to police activity outside of Heliport operating hours. A third complaint described an aircraft nearly crashing into a house, which was investigated and found not to be related to the Heliport. Multiple complaints were raised about helicopter noise across a weekend, but investigations found no unusual activity. Finally, a complaint was made about a helicopter flying over North London near Finsbury Park, which was also identified as an NPAS helicopter and outside the Heliport's Air Traffic Zone (ATZ).

The minutes of the previous meeting record that there was a discussion of corner cutting by helicopters, and a request was made for further discussion on the topic. The Heliport's Managing Director stated he was on the Steering Board for the modernisation of London Airspace, and he thought it would be possible to have controllers speak to helicopters who strayed outside of the helicopter route.

The Heliport Manager referred the Group to the noise complaints form on the Heliport’s website and asked representatives to remind those who contact them about complaints to ensure as much detail as possible about the helicopter is provided.

The report pack also records that an update was requested on the proposed Air Quality Study which had been discussed at previous meetings. The Heliport's Managing Director confirmed that a contractor had been found but the funding would need to be joint between the councils and the Heliport.

Information on Helicopter Movements

The report pack included information on helicopter movements from April 2023 to March 2025. The data provided a monthly breakdown of helicopter movements by category (A, B, Exempt, Military, N/A) and by exemption type (Medical, Police, Other).

Other Matters

The agenda included the appointment of a Chair of the London Heliport Consultative Group for the 2025/2026 municipal year, and to consider the nominations for the Resident Representative roles for the 2025/2026 municipal year.