Perth Voice Interactive

MT HAWTHORN residents have joined forces to oppose a block of flats being built in their “character street”.

The department of housing plans to build a 10-unit, two-storey building in East Street.

Local Voices of Mt Hawthorn says a multiple dwelling will ruin the street’s ambience of federation houses on individual lots.

“We’re not against multiple dwellings in Mt Hawthorn, but they should be on major distributor-class roads like Oxford Street and Brady Street, not R30-zoned residential streets,” says spokesperson Richard Morup.

“We are advocating for the removal of loopholes in current local and state government planning regulations, which have enabled the approval of multiple dwellings in our quiet single-residential character streets.”

Two units in the development will be for social housing, but Mr Morup says the group’s not fussed.

“The occupancy of multiple dwellings is irrelevant to our concerns and campaign objectives,” he says.

In response to a petition from Local Voices of Mt Hawthorn, Vincent city council has initiated amendments to its town planning scheme to protect R30 suburban streets from multiple dwellings.

The East Street site had formerly been home to seven, single-storey houses tenanted by returned service personnel.

Local Voices of Mt Hawthorn was formed last July and has about 250 members.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK