Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is continuing her fight to build a helipad atop her bright pink Perth headquarters, despite repeated setbacks.
As the legal battle continues, lawyers representing the nation’s richest person have compared the proposed helipad’s noise impact to that of an electric kettle.
After the City of Perth rejected plans for the addition to the Ord Street building, the dispute has now reached the State Administrative Tribunal.
Hancock Prospecting subsidiary Ord Street Holdings has requested a review of the council’s decision to refuse permission for Rinehart’s $10 million Bell 429 twin-engine helicopter to land on the five-storey office building.
During a hearing on Monday, Ord Street Holdings barrister Grant Donaldson claimed the helicopter would generate just 144 minutes of noise each year, according to The Australian Financial Review .
He told the tribunal that would amount to just 0.02 per cent of the year, likening the impact to an electric kettle boiling for six minutes every fortnight.
However, the City of Perth isn’t convinced, with the council’s lawyer, Tim Houweling, arguing the potential impact of the helicopter could not be reduced to a mathematical calculation.
He also raised concerns about what the helipad could mean for future development in the area, with the council preparing to consider a new planning scheme that could accommodate up to 3000 additional residents.
Property owners and health services nearby also oppose the pad.
The Child and Adolescent Health Service said that sudden helicopter noise could interfere with testing for children with autism, ADHD and anxiety, as well as the potential impact of airborne contaminants.
The latest hearing follows months of negotiations between Hancock Prospecting and the council, including two unsuccessful mediation attempts.
The mining giant has since revised its proposed flight path and changed operating hours to between midday and 7pm.
Hancock Prospecting previously argued that rooftop helipads are common in major international cities, including New York and Tokyo.
The company has also suggested the landing site could be used by emergency services, given its proximity to Perth’s major hospitals.
The helipad would sit atop Hancock Prospecting’s recently revamped headquarters at 53 Ord Street.
The building underwent a $19.5 million transformation, which included new workspaces, an amphitheatre, radio studio and its pink exterior.
Rinehart’s company has operated in West Perth since the 1980s, when the business was run by her father, Lang Hancock.
The tribunal is expected to hear evidence from planning, noise and wind experts before closing submissions on Tuesday.
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