Eddie Stobart heir’s helicopter deal angers neighbours near his country estate
The heir to the Eddie Stobart haulage fortune is caught up in a row with his neighbours over helicopters using his country estate.
William Stobart rents out a helipad at his gated mansion in Over Peover near Knutsford, Cheshire, to a private helicopter firm.
But the son of haulage magnate Eddie Stobart has upset his neighbours, who say the helicopters make too much noise.
Alex Oakshott, 37, a gardener, told MailOnline it had made life a misery in the once quiet village.
He said: “You can hear the helicopters coming from miles off and it’s a right racket when they land.
“We are very close to the landing pad. It’s awful. It makes me so angry that he’s been allowed to get away with this.”
Mr Stobart, 62, rents the helipad to private charter firm GB Helicopters, which has a range of wealthy clients, and flies guests to events such as Cheltenham, Royal Ascot and the Grand National, MailOnline reported.
It operates up to three flights a day at the busiest times of year and has been using the site for the last 12 years.
Abi Hensby, the operations manager at GB Helicopters, said: “We have always addressed and consulted with neighbours who have raised concerns and laid out a detailed flight path in and out procedure for all our crew to adhere to.”
She added: “We fly over open land and property that fully endorses us. When we leave or arrive, the noise will be approximately 30 seconds.”
However, neighbours have raised concerns about the noise and safety of the flights.
Glynn Stockdale, 86, a retired interior designer, said: “I came to live here as it’s so out of the way and quiet.
“But peace and quiet has been shattered by these helicopters. They make a hell of a noise when they come into land. It’s almost as if you’re in the cockpit.
‘And they really come close to the houses, which is a real risk. You never know what can happen with helicopters.”
Alison Gardner, 62, added: “It’s made our lives a living hell. The noise is incredible when they take off and land. We’re devastated with all this and so fed-up.
‘We’ve complained but he doesn’t seem to care’
“It has been going on for five or six years – he doesn’t have permission from the council to use his landing pad as a business.
“But there’s a hangar there and sometimes two helicopters are parked there. We’ve complained but he doesn’t seem to care – it’s outrageous.”
Anthony Harrison, a councillor on Cheshire East council, also claimed that Mr Stobart does not have planning permission to use the landing pad as a business.
The ward councillor for Chelford has contacted the council’s planning enforcement team and said he had raised the issue with Mr Stobart himself.
Mr Stobart is the deputy group chief executive officer of Culina Group, the company that owns Eddie Stobart Limited.
He and the council have been contacted for comment by The Telegraph.
