History of London Heliport, Battersea

The heliport is described by its operator as London's only CAA-licensed heliport since the City of London floating helipad closed in 1985. Below is the timeline, taken from the operator's own pages, Hansard, trade press and the accident investigator's report.

Timeline

1. 1958Original planning consent was granted in 1958 for seven years and extended more than once (Commons debate, 21 Dec 1973, Under-Secretary Cranley Onslow). Note: the same Hansard text says the heliport 'opened in 1969', which conflicts with the 1959 opening given by all other sources; treat as a transcription slip and do not use. api.parliament.uk
2. 1959Operator's own site says the heliport was established in 1959 on the south bank of the Thames at Battersea ('50+ years'). londonheliport.co.uk
3. 1959Opening dated 23 April 1959 (built by W. & C. French, run by Westland); first landing 8 April 1959 by Westland aircraft G-ANLW. Sources: Wikipedia pointer citing BUFVC Pathe 'Westland Heliport Opening' and helis.com; an airhistory.net entry (G-ANLW) corroborates the 8 April first flight into the Westland Heliport. Day-level dates seen only via these secondary pointers, not in a primary document. airhistory.net
4. 1959 onwardTrade press (Helicopter Investor, 23 Feb 2012) states the heliport 'has operated continuously since 1959', serving businesses, the Air Ambulance (HEMS) and Police Air Support units. helicopterinvestor.com
5. 1970sOriginal consent for current operations came from the now defunct Greater London Council in the 1970s; Wandsworth says nothing can be done to curtail operations under planning law. Permission caps: 80 movements a day, 12,000 a year, excluding emergency or military flights, with opening-hour limits. wandsworth.gov.uk
6. 1972-1973In the 1973 Commons debate the then cap was 8,000 movements a year, a limit said to have been reached in 1972; 1972 use was 55% executive/private, 24% military, 20% commercial charter, about 1% other. Temporary planning permission was due to expire 30 June 1975 and the GLC was reported to be minded to refuse permanent permission. api.parliament.uk
7. 1973Hansard records a CAA chairman view (reported by the minister) that London needed at least two heliports, one near the City and one near the West End. api.parliament.uk
8. 1985Operator's history page: the City of London floating helipad at Trigg Lane closed in 1985, leaving Battersea as the only CAA-licensed heliport serving the City of London. londonheliport.co.uk
9. 2007Von Essen Hotels (Andrew Davis) acquired the freehold from Weston; PremiAir (then Sir Robert McAlpine Group) took over management; announced around Feb-Mar 2007 and renamed 'The London Heliport'. Davis later bought PremiAir. Source summaries from Flight Global / Business Travel News Europe headlines; page text not opened. flightglobal.com
10. 201223 February 2012: Reuben Brothers bought the heliport from Andrew Davis through Aldersgate Investments Limited. Price not disclosed in Helicopter Investor; the operator's own history page and Wikipedia give GBP 35 million (BBC original could not be fetched). helicopterinvestor.com
11. 2012Operator history page: Reuben Brothers bought The London Heliport in February 2012 for GBP 35 million. londonheliport.co.uk
12. 2012The heliport received an exemption to the 2012 Olympics no-fly zone so VIPs and dignitaries could use it to reach the Games. helicopterinvestor.com
13. 201316 January 2013: Agusta A109E G-CRST, heading for London Heliport in poor visibility, hit a crane at St George Wharf near Vauxhall Bridge. Two died: the sole-occupant pilot and a pedestrian. AAIB final report AAR 3/2014 made 10 safety recommendations. gov.uk
14. 201414 February 2014: heliport ended its three-year relationship with Barclays (was 'Barclays London Heliport'); contract to end April 2014. helicopterinvestor.com
15. 2015The heliport recorded its 500,000th movement at the end of 2015 (operator press release carried by Helihub, 22 Apr 2016). helihub.com
16. 2015A London Heliport Consultative Group was running by 2015 (Wandsworth agendas dated 2015); a multi-borough forum. wandsworth.gov.uk
17. 2016Over 10,500 movements in the year ending 31 March 2016, best year since 2008. Local VFR air traffic control taken in-house in February 2016. helihub.com
18. 2017-2018London South Bank University monitored noise for five months in 2017 for Wandsworth; the 2018 report said noise could pose a medium health risk to residents in Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea; Wandsworth's leader called for relocation of the heliport. wandsworth.gov.uk
19. 20191 August 2019: renamed Edmiston London Heliport after Edmiston & Company took title sponsorship (Wikipedia citing Edmiston); operator's history page says it was refurbished by Edmiston in summer 2019. londonheliport.co.uk