Lambeth council has granted a planning application to build a proposed helicopter landing platform on the roof of King’s College Hospital.
The Hospital’s proposals were approved on December 3, and allow for the erection of a helipad on top of the ten-storey Ruskin Wing building at the site in Denmark Hill.
Over the past ten years, helicopter landings have taken place in neighbouring Ruskin Park, with a 20 minute patient transfer time from the helicopter to the hospital via ambulance, which can prove significant for critical life saving procedures.
The Ruskin Wing, at ten-storeys plus the plant enclosure is the tallest building on the hospital site, and would provide direct access from the landing deck to the A&E department.
Cllr Pete Robbins, Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, said: “I’m delighted the planning committee has approved these plans. Kings College Hospital is a ‘Major Trauma Centre’ and an incredibly important emergency health care centre for the people of Lambeth.
“At the moment Kings doesn’t have an on-site helipad, so emergency landings have to be made at neighbouring Ruskin Park. Patients are transferred from the helicopter to the hospital by ambulance, a transfer that takes around 20 minutes.
“Obviously in these emergency cases every minute is precious so this plan really could save lives.”
The new construction of a helipad, would provide a permanent arrangement for medical helicopters to land within hospital grounds, and facilitate the transfer of critically sick patients and donated organs for transplants to be transferred to King’s by helicopter.
