Sydney Harbour Helipad

The country's largest private hotel investor, cosmetic surgeon Dr Jerry Schwartz, unveiled plans to build a helipad on the roof of his Sofitel Sydney property at Darling Harbour.

Dr Schwartz, who owns the property, has been pushing to establish a helipad on the hotel since it opened in 2017 but has been unable to reach a deal with authorities.

The proposal would involve building a new structure on the roof of the 38-storey Sofitel hotel, with the addition of a lift and stairs to service the helipad.

Dr Schwartz said that as the proposed rooftop helipad would be classified as an ‘aircraft facility’ under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation (2000).

Friends of Sydney Harbour opposes such a development as dangerous in such a populous CBD site and notes reports of helicopter crashes and deaths in New York in 2019 and London in 2013.

Other objections include those from Sydney MP, Alex Greenwich saying Sydney "Liveable cities focus on supporting active transport, open spaces and design excellence, not a jungle of high rises and helipads. This is a very 1980s Dynasty style proposal that I doubt will be viable in the 2020s," Mr Greenwich said.