Gina Rinehart, Australia’s wealthiest individual, recently faced a setback in her plans to enhance the Perth headquarters of her company, Hancock Prospecting. Her proposal to add a rooftop helipad was turned down by the City of Perth councillors.

During a council meeting, the proposal was met with resistance, as councillors voted six to two against it, aligning with recommendations from planning officials. The helipad was intended to accommodate a Bell 429 helicopter atop the company’s newly refurbished headquarters in West Perth.

Despite the rejection, a recent telephone poll conducted by Perth’s 6PR radio station suggested that public sentiment was largely in favor of the helipad, indicating strong community backing for the initiative.

A spokesperson for Hancock Prospecting reiterated that the helipad would not compromise public safety and assured that any environmental impact would be minimal. They emphasized that independent technical assessments had verified that noise levels would remain within the current ambient noise levels of the area. Specifically, the maximum noise level would be reached for less than a minute per month, and only during daylight hours.

The spokesperson also restated the company’s stance that public safety would not be impacted and environmental impacts would be kept to a minimum.

“Independent technical assessments confirmed noise would not exceed existing ambient noise levels for the area, in fact, even reaching the highest current ambient noise level would occur for less than one minute per month – and only during daytime hours,” they said.

“Other expert technical reports addressing aviation safety and wind downwash confirm the helipad can operate safely and appropriately within the existing and future inner-city context.”

The spokesperson said Perth had missed an opportunity to showcase itself as a global mining and business hub, arguing other international cities had helipads.

“Rooftop helipads are commonplace in major and premier CBDs around the world including New York, London and Tokyo.”