Royal Perth Hospital Flight Path

Amendment No. 47 to City Planning Scheme No. 2 and Amendment No. 5 to Local Planning Scheme No. 26

Helicopter transport provides the quickest means of transferring critically injured patients to a major trauma service. Off-site landings have been found to result in longer transport times to the emergency room. Helipads directly linked to the medical facility in trauma centres can reduce transport time, costs and future consequences for trauma patients. Several local planning policies are proposed to be amended to align with the development requirements of the Special Control Area.

PROJECT UPDATE

The final outcomes of consultation were considered and presented to Council at it’s Ordinary Council Meeting (OCM) on the 29th of August 2023.

Council adopted the Scheme Amendments. Please click here for the Agenda and Minutes of this OCM.

NEXT STEPS

The amendments have been forwarded to the Western Australian Planning Commission for final determination by the Minister for Planning.

PROPOSED FLIGHT PATH

Why is the City Seeking this Amendment?

In 2019, the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) approved the proposed development of an upgraded Helicopter Landing Site (HLS) at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). The upgraded HLS will enable helicopters to access the facility and continue to support the State Major Trauma Unit (SMTU) at RPH.

As part of securing the long-term use of the facility, a Scheme Amendment is required to protect the flight path for emergency helicopters. Limitations and new development provisions are being proposed to ensure future development of landholdings along and adjacent to the alignment do not impact the function of the route.

What was considered when choosing a flight path?

A number of flight path alignments were evaluated throughout the preparation of the Scheme Amendment to determine the preferred alignment as described within the Scheme Amendment documentation. The selection of the alignment considered helicopter safety, critical emergency response times for patients and minimising impacts on community and property (and was chosen to have the least impact on potential/future development).

SITE MAP
fig. Proposed Flightpath Map

What does the proposed Scheme Amendment seek to do?

The proposed Scheme Amendment seeks to secure critical operations of the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service at RPH into the future. This includes the interrelationship between the existing planning framework and development opportunities, the National Airports Safeguarding Framework, relevant aviation standards, and State government investment.

The proposed Scheme Amendments seeks to:

1. Create a Special Control Area comprising of a “core flight path area” and a “frame flight path area” that make up the emergency flight path protection area route;
2. Limit maximum building heights within the “core flight path area”;
3. Manage works and temporary structures (such as cranes) within the core and frame areas, to avoid an obstruction risk within the emergency flight path corridor; and
4. Create a consultation process with the Eastern Metropolitan Health Service so they can provide advice on development applications located within the emergency helicopter flight path protection area.