Hospital helipad to be relocated along Cairns Esplanade
On the move: The emergency helipad on the Cairns Esplanade across from the Cairns Base Hospital will be moved - possibly 25 metres - to the south. Picture: GOOGLE MAPS.
A DEDICATED landing pad will not be permanently fenced off for the Cairns Base Hospital helicopter as pilots requested, but the council is in favour of finally moving it.
Relocating the CBH helipad has been the subject of talks since 2009, when downdrafts from choppers became a risk to people in the area.A carpark outside the hospital was closed for safety, and various options such as a rooftop landing pad and a permanently cordoned-off area were rejected.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Board chief Bob Norman said in September the current helipad site problems could be resolved by moving it about 25m southeast.
Cairns Regional Council yesterday voted to negotiate a new location on the Esplanade for the helipad, and endorsed handing a trustee lease to Queensland Health for the land.
Security guards would get the the power to clear people from the helipad's area when emergency choppers land or take off.
The security guards would not have permanent powers over the land, and it would include provisions to prohibit or limit any fencing on the Esplanade.
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