A proposal to have private helicopters take off and land above the residential suburbs of Norwood and Kensington has residents up in arms and the local council powerless to stop it.

Key points: The helipad is proposed in a high-density residential area east of Adelaide's CBD

The helipad is proposed in a high-density residential area east of Adelaide's CBD It was not part of original redevelopment plans for the site approved by the former government in 2017

It was not part of original redevelopment plans for the site approved by the former government in 2017 Nearby residents object to the helipad, citing safety and noise concerns

The Peregrine Corporation, which operates On The Run service stations, wants a helipad atop a seven-storey redevelopment of its headquarters on the corner of Portrush Road and The Parade in Adelaide's inner-east.

The building — minus the helipad — was approved by the former Labor government in 2017 and will include retail and office tenancies, a restaurant, gymnasium and pool, car parking and business-related accommodation.

But in September 2018, six months after the Liberals won government, new Transport Minister Stephan Knoll made a variation under Section 46 (4) of the Development Act 1993 to include the words "helicopter landing facility" in the project's major development provisions.

If approved, the redeveloped rooftop would include a helipad and an emergency landing pad. ( SA Planning Commission )

Mr Knoll stated in the September 17 edition of the government gazette that it "followed an approach from the Peregrine Corporation who was proposing to utilise the land for this purpose".

"It is considered necessary to vary the declaration to enable a proper assessment of the development," Mr Knoll's statement said.

It meant the proposal went to the State Planning Commission (SPC) for assessment.

The SPC ordered that Peregrine prepare a public environmental report (PER) on its variation, for which public consultation closes today.

'Development by stealth'

Abigail Steed lives next to Peregrine's head office and said she expected the value of her house to be negatively impacted, both by the approved development and by the potential inclusion of a helipad.

"The helicopter's going to overfly my backyard, but that's OK, because the people from the second storey can look right into my backyard anyway," she said with cynicism.

The skyline behind Abigail Steed's fence will be obstructed by a seven-storey building. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

Ms Steed said she was concerned that authorities allowed the addition of a helipad to be treated as a variation of the original application, believing the "incremental creep constitutes development by stealth".

"In any other circumstances, a controversial proposal to locate a private airport facility in the middle of a quiet, suburban residential area, would be treated as significant," she said.

"Treating it as mere adjunct to an existing approval undermines the integrity of the approvals process."

Peregrine's head office has been there for more than 10 years and hosts 249 employees.

The corporation is owned by the wealthy Shahin family and, in its PER, considers itself the state's "largest private company by revenue" and "one of the biggest investors in the South Australian economy".

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Operational 10 days a year

Peregrine said the helicopters would only be operational 10 days a year and be limited to flying during daylight hours.

They were to be flown only for business purposes — mostly likely to and from the airport and to The Bend Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend (built by the Shahin family) — and would be ordered from the airport on an "as-needed basis".

It listed three helicopters it wanted to use under the proposal, with a Bell 206B JetRanger and Eurocopter EC130 likely to be used most regularly, while a larger AgustaWestland AW109 would also be available.

It predicted the two smaller aircraft would create about 87 decibels of noise for the closest residents.

By comparison, it said other noise sources at the location exceeded that by more than 10 decibels during a one-week measuring period Peregrine undertook during mid-2016.

Noise like a 'front-end loader'

Local resident and chartered engineer Colm Walsh did not consider Peregrine's report to be adequate and said he could "drive a bus" through its assertions.

"The noise will pretty much be the equivalent of a large front-end loader driving over your house on a number of occasions during the day," he said.

A school oval is listed as a potential emergency landing site. ( Supplied: Colm Walsh )

He also questioned the validity of "emergency laydown" areas identified by the corporation, which were mostly school playing fields, including ovals at Marryatville primary and high schools.

"I reckon they've basically done a bit of desktop surveying using Google," Mr Walsh said.

"Marryatville Primary School, for example, has a 66,000-volt main transmission cable that basically runs over the school oval.

"There's even a warning sign at the school that says no flying of kites or [model] aircraft in the area."

Mr Walsh said his main concerns were safety and the welfare of children in the area, believing that "most accidents involving helicopters occurred during take-off and landing".

He said a similar proposal atop a skyscraper in Melbourne was blocked by the City of Stonnington in 2018 due to noise concerns for residents and perceptions of safety.

"You don't build helipads in your backyard, and this is why you don't want them in your suburb, no matter where you are in Australia."

A church spire is located across the road from Peregrine headquarters. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

CASA approval unnecessary

In its PER, Peregrine said that because the helipad would be used infrequently, it did not "trigger a requirement for any approval or licensing from the Environmental Protection Authority, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority or any other regulatory body".

A CASA spokesman confirmed that if an area was to be used infrequently by aircraft, "it is classified as an aircraft landing area and does not need CASA approval".

"Pilots must determine each flight if the location is safe to use for their operations," he said.

"CASA can also provide specific advice for any site which is proposed to be used as a landing area."

Mr Knoll said Peregrine's report had considered a range of issues, "including those related to aviation operations, neighbourhood interface, design quality and heritage context".

"Once this consultation period is finished, the onus is on Peregrine to respond to the concerns and issues raised by the community and other issues identified in the PER."

A government spokesman said both the EPA and CASA had been referred a copy of Peregrine's PER.

He said an assessment report would be prepared following Peregrine's official response to the submission and all three documents would be considered prior to any decision being made.

Most of Peregrine's current building is single storey despite having a two-storey facade. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

Safety risks 'unacceptable'

Robert Bria, Mayor of the City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters, said the public safety risks were unacceptable and had not been adequately addressed by Peregrine.

He said it would result in a loss of amenity, noise pollution — particularly for nearby residents — and there were significant risks with a helicopter "landing and taking off from a building situated on a federal highway in a dense residential area".

"There are also a number of schools near the proposed helipad and buildings at the intersection which are of a similar height to the proposed Peregrine building."

Peregrine's headquarters neighbours a church spire, a water tower and an apartment block.

Cr Bria said the council had no say over the helipad's approval and could only make a submission in response to Peregrine's PER.

He said the council was not aware of any other state or territory government that had varied the equivalent of a major development declaration to bypass councils for helipad approvals.