Gina Rinehart makes fresh bid for helipad at Hancock Prospecting’s West Perth building
Gina Rinehart’s company Hancock Prospecting hopes a new flight path surrounding Perth’s iconic Kings Park will take on plans for a helipad at its $270 million headquarters after the local council turned down a request from Australia’s richest man last year.
The City of Perth grounded plans for a helipad at the Ord Street building in December despite two councilors backing the idea of the helicopter landing in the city precinct and the mayor describing Rinehart as a “great Australian”.
But the company later took the matter to the WA State Administrative Tribunal and as part of the process submitted a revised development application to the council this week, outlining a new flight path and opening hours in a bid to get the request over the line.
Previous plans had called for the helicopter to approach from the east or west of the dazzling five-storey headquarters on a route that would see it land in the inner-city suburb of Subiaco or a mix of residential and office buildings in West Perth.
Instead, on the new flight path, the eight-seat Bell 429 helicopter approaches the building from the southwest, following Thomas Street on the outer edge of Kings Park, Perth’s CBD botanical garden, and turning and descending when it reaches Ord Street.
The company had previously aimed for the helipad to be used for “occasional corporate transportation” during “daylight hours” between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., up to 12 times a year.
Representatives of Hancock Prospecting even likened Perth to Tokyo and New York as a “global city” with “contemporary needs for globally connected businesses” when putting their case before the council.
In a revised development application submitted to the City of Perth, the time window for flights has been shortened to between noon and 7pm.
A Hancock Prospecting spokesman said the company’s original application “was developed with expert input and independent technical analysis which confirmed that the helipad and flight path could operate safely and appropriately”.
“However, as part of our extensive good faith efforts to reach agreement with the City of Perth, we have proposed a modified flight path and further reduced the proposed operating times,” they said.
The spokesman said the amended proposal also complies with requirements for aircraft noise levels and further independent analysis found that traffic noise along Thomas Street would exceed noise from helipad use.
“For comparison, the noise experienced by nearby residents in their homes when the proposed helipad is in use would be similar to the operation of a small appliance such as a blender or coffee grinder,” they said.
“The horn heard from three meters away exceeds the decibel usage level of our helipad. This detail was clearly stated in our original application.
“Rooftop helipads are common in the world’s leading cities and our proposal will elevate Perth’s status as a serious, up-to-date business centre.”
The City of Perth has been contacted for comment.
