A new helipad at Banff’s Mineral Springs Hospital to accommodate STARS air ambulance’s bigger helicopters is a step closer to reality.
The Town of Banff’s planning and development department is recommending approval of a development permit for construction of a 5.3-metre high helipad in the general area of the existing helipad on Lynx Street.
The application from Alberta Health Services was before Banff’s Municipal Planning Commission Wednesday (June 8), but a decision on the helipad was not available at the time the Outlook went to press.
Officials say building the helipad five metres above ground provides adequate clearance to meet Transport Canada standards to mitigate surrounding obstructions for the proposed flight path.
Darren Enns, senior planner with the Town of Banff, said the proposed helipad at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital is clearly an essential service for the community and the national park.
“However, like any development in Banff, it needs to ensure that it integrates itself into the landscape in a manner which is consistent with the Land Use Bylaw and Banff Design Guidelines,” he said.
“The proposal in its current form uses a landscape-based approach to minimize its visual impact, which administration agrees is the correct approach. Additional steps can be taken to better integrate the proposal into its landscape.”
Mineral Springs Hospital helipad has been identified by Alberta Health Services as in need of upgrading in order to accommodate the new STARS helicopter fleet, particularly the new Augusta Westland AW139, and to satisfy Transport Canada’s regulatory requirements.
Enns said AHS, and their consultant WSP Group, have been working with the municipality since mid-2015 on a proposed new helipad design, which if approved, would begin construction in the summer of 2016.
“The current helipad is not able to accommodate some of the larger aircraft now operated by STARS, forcing these aircraft to utilize off-site landing areas such as the helipad in the compound, which increases patient risk,” he said.
In addition to the helipad, the development also includes a connecting walkway and elevator to get patients directly to and from ambulance bays and the emergency rooms in the hospital.
The existing helipad, constructed in 1998, is a raised earth structure located adjacent to Gopher Street, and to the emergency care wing of the hospital. The new helipad is estimated to cost up to $3 million to build.
