Adelaide entrepreneur Shane Yeend blames council for ‘dying’ Adelaide in fiery Facebook post
THE State Government copped it last week and now Adelaide City Council is in the firing line of outspoken entrepreneur Shane Yeend, this time for again stalling his bid to bring a helipad to the city.
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THE State Government copped it last week and now the Adelaide City Council is in the firing line of outspoken Adelaide entrepreneur Shane Yeend.
Mr Yeend has taken to Facebook in a fiery tirade aimed at the Adelaide City Council and Lord Mayor Martin Haese after his eight-year bid to bring a helipad to the city was once again stalled by council.
“I will be dead before SA gets a 10m x 10m helipad in the city,” Mr Yeend posted.
“Another six months and another study after the Mayor Martin Haese voted against us (after telling me it will be OK) with the Save the Parklands to knock it back for another study.
“No money needed, no parklands needed, just a pontoon in the river paid for by us between Morphett Street bridge and the old jail where the old Police Helipad was for years. Seriously.
“Maybe another full page on Sunday to have a crack at bureaucracy in Adelaide City Council. This is why this place is dying and we are all f ...”
Mr Yeend then posted the letter he received from council stating that the exploration of a city helipad will once again be deferred for further investigation alongside the statement: “FU ACC. The people of Adelaide expect more. We have $35m in choppers in town today for a VVIP client going to KI. You guys can go down with the ship.”
Mr Yeend’s comments follow the placement of a full-page advertisement in the Sunday Mail railing against the lack of energy and negativity among government officials in backing game-changing industries in response to his plans to use the Holden factory site to grow medicinal marijuana on a commercial scale.
“It seems we pay so many public servants who could not organise a sausage sizzle at Bunnings, and that is being nice,” Mr Yeend said in the advertisement.
He also cited SA’s richest man, billionaire Con Makris, who is shifting his property empire head office to Queensland because of better growth opportunities.
Former entrepreneur and current Lord Mayor Martin Haese said he is personally very supportive of a helipad in the CBD and the many benefits it will bring to residents, businesses and tourists and envisages a CBD helipad installed next year..
“There is clearly a market for charter tours from the centre of the city to South Australia’s beautiful regions, such as the Flinders Ranges, Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island, as well as joy flights around the CBD to see Adelaide like never before,” he said.
“However, it’s important that we get this right and, the information the Adelaide Park Lands Authority (APLA) has asked for, such as environmental and noise impacts, is completely fair and reasonable.
“I am confident that this process will be concluded early in the new year and that Adelaide will have a functioning helipad some time later in 2017.”
The Intercontinental Hotel and Adelaide Casino have previously been supportive of a helipad, which they believe is a great selling point and would attract high-rollers to the CBD.