Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT city council’s rejection of four units on a Mt Hawthorn block is being appealed to the powerful but unelected state administrative tribunal.

The infill plan is intensely unpopular with residents around Lynton Street, who’d shown up in force at the council to urge rejection: “We do not want to have multi-dwellings in our street,” neighbour Brad Wright said at the time, “we want to retain that sense of community.”

While the SAT decides whether to overrule the elected local council decision, locals are putting together a petition asking the council to stymie multiple dwellings on blocks zoned R30 or less.

Petition organiser Richard Morup says locals want the council to change the planning scheme so councillors can consider local objections in decisions and not just letter-of-the-law planning rules. He points out the council asks neighbours what they think during community consultation, but when it comes to the decision it’s done more on planning grounds.

“We are not anti-development or anti-infill, but we believe in orderly planning and in protecting the quiet low-density residential character of our neighbourhood,” Mr Morup says.

“We want councillors to approve or refuse multiple dwelling applications as they see fit, but to always be legally entitled to consider community objections based on impacts on unique local factors.”

Mayor John Carey says staff are preparing options for how to manage multiple dwellings in lower-density areas and a report’s on its way: “We’ve very acutely aware of residents’ concerns, given our position on Lynton Street they know we support them.”

by DAVID BELL