Hope for air ambulance landing
But council could dash those hopes

24 February 2010

BY ANGELA MCFEETERS

PORTLAND District Health executives hope their proposed emergency helicopter landing location can still be formalised, following a meeting with senior government officials on Friday.

PDH chairman Andy Govanstone and chief executive John O’Neill met with Department of Sustainability and Environment public land executive director Peter Watkinson and other senior DSE managers in Melbourne after the hospital received a written rebuff to their preferred landing site from Environment Minister Gavin Jennings earlier this month.

Mr Govanstone and Mr Watkinson both said the meeting was “very positive”.

“All parties gained a greater understanding of the needs of the area to move things forward,” Mr Watkinson said.

Mr Govanstone said he didn’t believe the door was closed to the planned site of the Ploughed Field being formalised.

“All the parties will continue working towards a satisfactory resolution on the matter,” he said.

“We are continuing to prepare information for the necessary application to Glenelg Shire Council and will apply for coastal management acts consent through the DSE.”

“In the meantime, the air ambulance service can continue to use the Ploughed Field as needed when safe to do so.”

An Ambulance Victoria representative and Glenelg Shire Council chief executive Stuart Burdack were also at the meeting.

It was originally reported that the executives would be meeting with Mr Jennings and the DSE representatives.

However, a spokesperson for Mr Jennings said the meeting was always intended to be upon the minister’s direction rather than with him, and the minister could not attend because he had a Cabinet conference on Friday.

The proposed helipad at the Ploughed Field was due to be discussed at last night (Tuesday’s) meeting of the Glenelg Shire Council, when a report by the council’s group manager assets and infrastructure, Lindsay Merritt recommended that it was inappropriate for the council to give consent for the helipad to be located on that land.

• The air ambulance airlifted a man with an irregular heartbeat to Barwon Health’s Geelong Hospital on Thursday evening.

No other details about the man’s condition or origin were available at the time of going to print. However, the air ambulance used the Ploughed Field landing site.