Australia’s richest woman’s bid to install a private helicopter landing pad on her company’s new headquarters has been shot down by a city council concerned about noise.
Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting wanted to build a pad on top of its yet-to-be-constructed 14-storey headquarters in West Perth.
The resource company said it would only be used in daylight hours for a maximum of 12 times per year to “enable occasional corporate transport”.
But City of Perth planners rejected the plan, saying the proposed pad would adversely impact the surrounding community’s amenity, and the applicant had not demonstrated that the noise and vibration impacts could be mitigated.
After a lively debate for and against the pad during a meeting on Tuesday night, councillors voted 6-2 in favour of the City’s recommendation.
Hancock Prospecting said it was disappointed with the decision, and Perth had missed an opportunity to cement its reputation as a growing globally recognised hub for international mining and business investment.
“Rooftop helipads are commonplace in major and premier CBDs around the world, including New York, London and Tokyo,” a spokesman said.
Ms Rinehart’s company also suggested there could be “ramifications” for emergency services and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“With the building’s location right between Perth’s two major trauma hospitals, and the Perth Children’s Hospital, the helipad would have life-saving potential,” the spokesman said.
“Our position remains that there is no basis for the refusal on noise and safety concerns.”
Hancock Prospecting is now considering its options.
Ms Rinehart isn’t the first Australian billionaire whose helipad aspirations have crashed and burned.
Late-media tycoon Kerry Packer’s proposal for a helicopter landing pad atop his Sydney headquarters was rejected in the early nineties.