Kind of reluctant to enter this debate but here goes.
If a CBD heliport is to be of any use it must be in the CBD, not on the other side of the harbour. The last thing the punter wants is a two stage trip to get to where he wants to go. Put one at Luna Park or any other location, even a floating one, and your passenger needs a taxi from the hotel, then a water taxi to the heliport, then into the helicopter. We would be wasting to much of his time.
A Sydney city heliport would need to be of reasonable size and be able to accept a number of helicopters at once, both parked up and coming and going. Would you allow joyflights from it, I wouldn't. Nothing would close it down quicker than one or two helicopters coming and going all day every day. I would assume that any approval would come with movement limitations and joyflights would kill those off.
Depending on who gets to operate it, landing and standing fees would be high and possibly restrictive. Do you allow pistons in or just turbines or maybe even only twins, commercial pilots only or private and student as well.
I would also imagine that if it happens, it will be booked solid for the first few months with those who just wanted to tick it off in the "been there, done that" book.
By now I sound like a NIMBY. But I have been arguing for this for years, it would be both a great business to be involved in and a great asset to Sydney.
I've always thought any part of Garden Island would be good. Approach and depart over water, Commonwealth Govt owns it (or at least I think they still do), on the correct side of the harbour, already a noisy spot as it is a working dockyard both military and civil, and best of all, right on the edge of the CBD.
Bring it on, my boss would love it as would I.............