Irish night heliport
 

My proposed site for night use is on a golf course (not many golfers play at night) and, despite having the land owner's permission, having submitted a measured survey of the site with the night layout to be used to the IAA, they have refused approval due to the lack of planning permission as it is a 'change of use'. Do you know whether this is the current requirement in place before their new procedures will be introduced?

I would not be able to comment or speculate. However, the requirements are not limited to pp approval as in change of use, (I would suspect that would have nothing to do with the IAA but is a condition of the local planning authority)
Helicopter performance , light requirements, navaid facility, crash plan, comm's, and of course pilot's experiance level. I believe the IAA have a standard format, but will only authorize on a case by case basis. That discretion is clearly stated. Check Annex 14 ICAO and SI 72...
Please feel free to pm or email me:)

Have a look at http://www.pleanala.ie/data1/ and do a search using the key word "Helicopter" this will throw up some recent planning decisions and give you an insight in to what is involved in the planning approval process.
Raven

Many thanks for the info. I will persevere in the hope it is not a futile exercise although I have this suspicion that night heliports in Class C airspace is in the 'too difficult' file with the IAA.

Loath as I am to comment on stuff I don't know about, I wouldn't be so quick to accept that planning permission is required.

The issue seems to be whether you're planning on landing at this location on a regular basis. If not, then you haven't "rendered the use regular". Look at case RL2262 (in the link by raven2), which seems to be the only relevant one (as I take it you're not talking about basing a helicopter there, with hangers, etc.). The following points are included in the justification for the decision:

(iv) the proposed activity would establish a consistent pattern of use that would render the use regular,

(v) the character of the use of the open space lands would be altered in planning terms by the proposed use...

MQ.