Perth Voice Interactive

Kangaroos could be bounced from Stirling bushland and replaced with apartments.

In 2010 the council permitted Channel 7—owned by billionaire Kerry Stokes—to redevelop its old Tuart Hill site, under the proviso the roos in neighbouring Cottonwood Crescent bushland must stay put.

But developers have pushed the care onus back onto council, and staff complain managing the dwindling mob is onerous. They want the roos relocated before work starts.

The land on Osborne Road occupies more than seven hectares and parts were rezoned to allow up to 80 units a hectare.

Friends of Dianella Bushland president Jan Bant says the kangaroos have been around for nearly 60 years and should stay.

“This has been passed back and forth between the developers and the city—no-one wants to take responsibility for it,” she says.

“I think once they found out how much it was going to cost to accommodate the kangaroos, they panicked.

“At the city’s natural environment working group we agreed to wait and watch—why are we rushing into things?”

An ecology report estimates the roo population at Crescent Bushland has fallen from 18 adults and six joeys in 2008, to 10 and one in 2013.

The WA environment and conservation department suggests “culling the kangaroos prior to development”, enclosing Cottonwood Reserve, or relocation.

Stirling mayor David Boothman says accommodating the roos is too hard.

“The kangaroos are next to a highly populated suburban area, the most humane thing to do is to relocate them.

“Fully enclosing bushland areas and connecting corridors is not an option as it would preclude public movement and access to public open space in an area that is poised to become intensely developed for residential purposes.”

Channels 9 and 10 have submitted rezoning applications for their holdings at the old Dianella media precinct. Seven’s redevelopment is slated to start around 2015. Council voted to defer making a decision for 12 months, when more information is made available.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK