Battersea 1959: building London's heliport

Westland builds the heliport; April 1959 first landing and opening; newsreel.

Key facts

• First landing 8 April 1959 (Widgeon G-ANLW)
• Opening 23 April 1959; Pathe newsreel 27 April 1959
• Built by W. & C. French

In date order

1. 1959 (8 April)First landing at the new Westland Heliport, Battersea
   Westland Widgeon G-ANLW flown by John Fay reported as first aircraft to land (secondary sources). airhistory.net
   Confidence: single secondary source
2. 1959 (23 April)London Heliport (Westland Heliport) opens at Battersea
   Built by W. & C. French. British Pathe newsreel "Air News: London Gets Helicopter Port", issue 59/34, dated 27 April 1959. learningonscreen.ac.uk
   Confidence: newsreel record located; 23 April date from Wikipedia citing BUFVC - confirm on BUFVC/Pathe page
3. 1970sGLC planning permission for the heliport: 80 movements a day, 12,000 a year
   Wandsworth-commissioned 2018 monitoring report describes the limit as current. Original GLC decision not seen. openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk
   Confidence: secondary (limit described in 2018 report via search summary); original GLC decision not seen
4. 1974 (28 June)Written answer on helicopter flights in London
   Clinton Davis: no noise limits applied to aircraft in flight over Greater London; flights limited to a few prescribed routes; pilots to fly near the 1,000 ft maximum; GLC controlled Battersea movements through planning powers and was understood to have asked for reduced movements in 1974; CAA considering route changes for Brentford and Chiswick. api.parliament.uk
   Confidence: verified (Hansard)
5. 2006 (October)London Assembly Environment Committee publishes "London in a spin"
   First comprehensive review of helicopter noise in the capital (chair Darren Johnson AM); called for a movements database, complaints system, London Heliport Consultative Committee, user charge and 25% write-down allowance for older helicopters. Committee meeting held 13 July 2006. london.gov.uk
   Confidence: verified (GLA report text)
6. 2007PremiAir takes over operation of Battersea heliport from Weston (von Essen contract)
   Flight International headline; page returned 403. PremiAir described as operator since 2007 by search summaries. flightglobal.com
   Confidence: headline only - page not retrieved
7. 2012 (23 February)Reuben Brothers (Aldersgate Investments) buy London Heliport
   Seller: Andrew Davis, former boss of the collapsed von Essen Hotels. BBC reported GBP 35 million (via Wikipedia; BBC page blocked). travelweekly.co.uk
   Confidence: secondary (Travel Weekly); price from Wikipedia only
8. 2012 (14 July to 15 August; Paralympics 16 August to 12 September)London 2012 airspace restrictions; special exemption for London Heliport
   Restrictions began midnight 14 July; helicopters barred east of Battersea Bridge except cleared police, military, medical; HMS Ocean moored on Thames; Typhoons at RAF Northolt. gov.uk
   Confidence: official notice located (start date); Thames detail from trade press
9. 2013 (16 January)Vauxhall crane collision, Agusta A109E G-CRST
   About 07:59 GMT, helicopter diverting to London Heliport in freezing fog struck the jib of a crane on St George Wharf Tower. Pilot Pete Barnes and pedestrian Matthew Wood died; 12 injured. gov.uk
   Confidence: verified (AAIB); casualty detail via Wikipedia citing BBC
10. 2014 (9 September)AAIB report AAR 3/2014 and ten safety recommendations
    Causes: pilot turned onto a collision course with the crane and did not see it or saw it too late; contributory: continued to London Heliport despite being unable to stay clear of cloud. Recommendations 2014-025/026 (CAA/ANSPs to assess obstacles near VFR routes incl. London Thames helicopter routes) closed adequate 22 Dec 2014; 2014-027 asks DfT for a UK-wide obstacle data reporting mechanism. gov.uk page updated 25 Nov 2015. gov.uk
    Confidence: verified (AAIB report page and recommendation document)
11. 2014 / 2025Heliport House: 15-storey scheme approved 2014 (not built); 34-storey tower of up to 147 flats proposed
    Local Democracy Reporter, 11 February 2025; heliport operator lodged holding objection (April 2025, secondary). Outcome not found. southlondon.co.uk
    Confidence: secondary; outcome not found
12. 2018LSBU heliport noise monitoring study
    Commissioned by three boroughs; found residents near the Thames routinely subjected to noise levels that could be a health concern. lsbu.ac.uk
    Confidence: secondary (search summary)
13. 2022 (20 January)Skyports buys Falcon Heliport near Canary Wharf
    To be developed as a potential eVTOL vertiport; operates as Skyports London Heliport; price undisclosed. ainonline.com
    Confidence: verified (AIN)

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