Plymouth could have a futuristic heliport with electric vertical take-off “flying taxis” operating from it within a decade.
Ambitious plans are being drawn up to create the heliport near the water’s edge, initially with helicopter flights connecting the city to others cities around the Ƶ.
Halo Aviation, an established helicopter operator with 10 years of experience. is behind the plan to turn an .
The house is on a raised plot of waterfront land surrounded by, somewhat in incongruously, the Cattedown industrial area.
Halo Aviation envisages having about 160 commercial flights a year, which would mean about two or three a week, operating from Plymouth.
The idea is to fly in and out five- to eight-seater helicopters, for primarily business clients to connect the city with the rest of the Ƶ.
But it has its eyes on using the land, as a heliport for advanced electrical vertical take-off aircraft within five to 10 years. This would fit, it said, with the city’s desire to become carbon neutral by 2030.
The plan is to evolve the site from use by helicopters to a landing pad for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, such as the Toyota-backed, Joby Aircraft prototype demonstrator. These have been described as “electric flying taxis”.
Victoria House already had a licence to be used as a helipad when Halo Aviation bought the property for £1.75million in 2019.
But the company, which has already satisfied Plymouth City Council on a number of environmental issues and will be strictly controlled on operating hours and flight paths and avoid flying over residential areas, wants to develop a commercial operation.
It stressed this would represent a significant financial investment for the city, with the money coming from private funds not the public sector.
It would also provide an air link to the capital, and other destinations, something the city lost when Plymouth City Airport closed in 2011.
Halo Aviation stressed it is not in competition with other organisations that may want to restart flights from the disused airfield.
And a spokesperson for Halo Aviation stressed: “We fully support any bid to reopen the city’s former airstrip and are delighted that mutual letters of support have been signed with FlyPlymouth.”
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The company, which is due to submit a full planning application imminently mainly concerning the demolition of a garage building in order to construct a hangar if similar size, is also intending to allow the heliport to be utilised by police helicopters, search and rescue choppers and air ambulances.
“The house has permission already for private helicopter landings,” the Halo Aviation spokesperson said. “But we want to get all the right permissions to run it as a commercial heliport.”
The company, which is an established helicopter operator with a decade’s experience, stressed it wants to operate safely and to the highest standards and will be regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
If it receives the planning permissions it requires it will demolish a garage building, but not the attractive house, and build a similarly-sized hangar and workshops for maintenance and storage.
